March 
96 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
to the interest of the show, and will undoubtedly be the 
means of doing much good, and perhaps very material¬ 
ly correct the nomenclature of fruits. I have no doubt 
but Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and 
Wisconsin, would all be well represented in such con¬ 
vention. The Eastern States I think will not be behind 
hand in the matter; and even John Bull will be there, 
and will then talk quite as flippantly about fruits as he 
does now about Oregon. 
I would not wish to be understood as saying that the 
convention should constitute the committee. By no 
means. But let such committee meet with and take 
part in the discussion on fruits in said convention; 
where very much important information will be elicit¬ 
ed from all parts of the country. Information which 
would be of immense importance to the public at large. 
Without wishing to assume any authority whatever of 
calling such convention, I merely fling out these sug¬ 
gestions for consideration. Pyrus. 
Buffalo, Feb’y, 1846. 
GARDEN OPERATIONS FOR MARCH. 
Mr. Tucker —About the latter part of this month, 
the first signs of early spring appear in the flowering of 
the crocuses: 
“-The first gilt thing 
That wears the trembling pearls of spring.” 
This pretty little flower, “that comes before the 
swallow dares, and takes the winds of March with beau¬ 
ty,” is a great favorite of mine. The three earliest 
sorts of crocuses are the yellow garden crocus, of a deep 
orange yellow; the cloth of gold, with chocolate 
stripes; and the Scotch, or white striped. The differ¬ 
ent shades of blue are the latest. All these, disposed in 
clumps of a dozen or more bulbs, with snow-drops and 
blue-bells, give to a garden a very gay appearance. 
“ Crocuses like drops of gold, 
Studded on the deep brown mould; 
Snow-drops fair like flakes of snow, 
And blue-bells bright now blow.” 
Of the ornamental shrubs we have the Double flower¬ 
ing Almond, and the Daphne mezereum, frequently in 
full bloom the last of the month. The flowers come 
out before the leaves, and grow in clusters all round the 
shoots of the former year. 
“ Though leafless, well attired, and thick beset 
With blushing wreaths, inverting every spray.” 
There are two varieties, the white-flowered with 
yellow berries, and the peach-flowered, with red ber¬ 
ries. A stray Pansy, Polyanthus, or a blue flower of 
the running Myrtle, peeping out from a mass of dark 
green foliage, sometimes cheer us by their appearance 
at this early period of vegetation; and among the early 
bulbs we may enumerate, the spring Crocus, of several 
varieties, Blue-bells, and Snow-drops; that interesting 
little flower, that “seems to vie in whiteness with the 
winding sheet of winter.” 
“ Already now the snow-drop dares appear, 
The first pale blossom of the unripened year; 
As Flora’s breath, by some transforming power, 
Had changed an icicle into a flower ; 
Its name and hue the scentless plant retains, 
And winter lingers in its icy veins.” 
At this season of the year, those gardens composed of 
evergreens, and the beds and walks edged with dwarf- 
box, prove to us the value of planting our grounds with 
trees and shrubs, that retain their leaves. As there is 
something required to be done in a garden at all sea¬ 
sons of the year, I would recommend the keeping of 
your flower-beds free from weeds, decayed leaves, &c., 
as the want of neatness will render the natural aspect of 
the garden, at this season, still more cheerless. There 
is also a peculiar pleasure in keeping a garden in order. 
An old author says: “ittendethto compose the mind, 
if it be turmoiled; or affordeth pastime, if it be weary 
of calmness.” The flower-beds should now have their 
winter covering removed, and the ground should be 
lightly raked, so as to give a neat appearance to the 
garden. Care should be taken during this operation to 
avoid injuring bulbous roots, and herbaceous plants not 
yet appearing above ground. Box edging ought to be 
clipped very early in the month, on both sides and at 
the top. Clean and roll gravel walks, and do every 
thing in your power to search for and destroy grubs ot 
every kind. Shrubs and vines should be pruned the first 
of the month, before the sap begins to rise. Cut out all 
dead wood and unsightly branches, and head down such 
as require it in order to form them into handsome 
bushes. Remove all suckers, in order to promote the 
health and improve the appearance of the plant. Fruit 
and forest trees should not be pruned until the last of 
June or the beginning of July. The wound made by 
cutting off the limb in June or July, will heal much 
more rapidly than that made at any other time of the 
year. p. 
Westchester Co., Feb. 15 th, 1846. 
VALUABLE VARIETIES OF INDIAN CORN. 
We were much pleased with a variety of twelve-row¬ 
ed corn, which we saw at Mr. Jewett’s, in Wey- 
bridge, Vermont, last summer, and which we thought 
highly superior fora northern latitude. At our sugges¬ 
tion, Mr- Comstock, of the Albany Agricultural Ware¬ 
house, wrote to Mr. Jewett for a supply of his corn, for 
seed. Mr. J. sent two varieties, which he describes as 
follows: 
“ The largest variety I obtained about 13 years ago 
in Colchester, in the north part of this state. At every 
planting season we have been very careful in selecting 
the seed from the brightest and earliest ears of corn, as 
uniform in size and color as possible, and thereby have 
improved the symmetry and quality of the corn.' 
Jason Stow of this town took one ear from my crib, 
which was about one foot in length; this he planted the 
tenth day of June in his garden, and found it all mature 
in good season for harvest. From this seed for the two 
succeeding years he planted one entire field on a rich 
intervale soil, near the bank of Otter creek. On account 
of yield and soundness of the crops, he prefers it to any 
corn that he has ever cultivated. The seed which I 
send you is from the product of this ear grown separate 
from any other variety. It must prove a valuable vari¬ 
ety in the south part of your state, and also in Connecti¬ 
cut and Massachusetts. It is more important that it be 
planted on a rich strong soil than the other variety 
which I sent you. 
« This latter smaller variety is the favorite corn with 
us, ripening some days earlier, produces equally well, 
by planting the hills nearer together, say, rows 3 by 3£ 
and from 3 to 4 stalks in a hill. Each variety will bear 
two handsome ears to the stalk, when not allowed to 
grow too thick. The husks on the last variety are very 
thin and soft, they change from green to a yellow very 
sudden. The corn matures in a short season. We 
obtain of either kind, under good cultivation, fifty bush¬ 
els to the acre; very free from nubbins or “pig corn;” 
most of the ears are of uniform size and quality, well 
filled out at the end. Either variety cultivated as far 
south as Albany, will change from smaller to a larger 
stalk and ear in a few years, and may retain most of 
their valuable qualities, if not improved, by selection of 
seed in the field, taking ears of good uniform size and 
most perfect growth, and those earliest ripe. 
“Several years since I procured of E. Jewett of St, 
Albans, a small but very early 12 rowed corn, called the 
“Palmer corn;” by intermixing this with the large va¬ 
riety described, and carefully selecting medium ears of 
perfect growth, I obtained the last named variety, which 
I have sent you. 
“ Some may not be aware that corn which is not tho 
roughly dried before winter sets in, or becomes wet, or 
quite moist, and then freezes, is not fit for seed. The 
freezing kills the vitality of the corn for seed, although 
it may look fair.”____^ 
Soaking Seeds. —L. D. (Wilmington, Del.) You 
will find the information you ask for in our last volume, 
page 128. 
