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5 
THE ELORIST. 
adhering to the wood with as much tenacity as a barnacle to a ship’s side. In 
the same tank with the Victoria Regia, may be seen the African Lily, and in 
other parts of the apartment, various rare plants and flowers. The water in 
the tank looked green and slimy, like a stagnant pond ; and the air though 
warm, seemed damp and uncongenial. We took our leave of good old Salem in 
the five o’clock train, well gratified with our visit.” 
The cultivation of fruits has for a long time received great attention 
from American Horticulturists, and we see that this Society makes this 
an important feature, and gives great encouragement to it. At page 18 
is a report of the Committee on fruits, from which we take an extract, 
as it bears on a subject of greater importance than is invariably felt by 
many who are in the habit of planting fruit trees, without first ascer¬ 
taining the fitness of the varieties to the locality. The report states :— 
“ As they make record from week to week, of their doings, it is for their dis¬ 
semination of good to all, especially for those who cannot be present to witness 
the rich display of choice specimens of fruits ofifered, not only from the 
immediate vicinity, but often from thousands of miles within our outspread 
country—including Kansas, California, and Oregon. In this way we are 
enabled to compare specimens and quality, and judge of such varieties as have 
a local habitation; and it will not be denied but that there are some fruits 
which do better in the section in which they originated, while it is admitted that 
others may be improved by a change of location, though this seldom happens ; 
yet the Bartlett (and some few varieties of foreign origin,) a widely disseminated 
Pear, seems to find in this country a more congenial climate than in the place 
of its origin. The Apples grown in Kansas, as presented for exhibition here, 
were mostly varieties which had originated in this section, such as the Roxbury, 
Russett, Baldwin, Hubbardston Nonsuch, &c., and though somewhat increased 
in size, they were equal if not superior to the same varieties grown with us. 
“ Of the fruits shown as grown in Oregon, we would specially mention the 
Gloria Mundi (Monstrous Pippin of Coxe), as exhibited by Daniel Denny, 
on account of its monstrous size, viz., 2 lbs. 5^ oz. avoirdupois weight. 
Specimens of the Sparhawk, weighing 27 oz., grown in Alabama, were shown 
by Messrs. Hovey, and, notwithstanding, the size was so much increased over 
those grown in the locality of its origin, the flavour was not any the less 
agreeable.” 
In reference to the Barbarossa Grape, we find at page 21, that— 
“ In this present year (1856) this Vine has again fruited, and you have had 
bunches of this crop exhibited upon the tables of your Society. It is proper 
now to state, that this variety has been fruited two seasons in the neighbourhood 
of New York, and that good judges pronounce the Grape indentical with the 
Prince Albert. 
“ There are other Vines of the Barbarossa in this vicinity—one small bunch 
of a very few berries was produced upon one Vine. The Prince Albert has been 
extensively planted in forcing houses in this State, and the Vines have been 
removed on account of their unfruitfulness. In my retarding house it has 
usually yielded well, bearing large long bunches of two to four pounds weight. 
This year, it had not a Grape or a blossom, and a Vine still retained in the 
forcing house for experiment has not shown a fruit cluster for years. The 
Vines of the two, if not identical, have the same uncertainty of crop. 
“There are three Grapes which have a very singular mode of growth, the 
Prince Albert, the Bishop, and Red Lombardy. If the Barbarossa is a distinct 
variety from Prince Albert, then there is a fourth. The Queen of Nice 
occasionally exhibits a tendency to the same growth. All these Grapes are late, 
requiring one or two months longer season than the Black Hamburgh, and great 
heat to mature them in perfection. 
“ These can be readily distinguished from the hundreds of other kinds, when 
in growth, by this singularity: the point or termination of all the young shoots 
being turned down, as if held in check by a rein. The Prince Albert has this 
peculiarity to the greatest degree, and the Barbarossa is so entirely like that I 
