228 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
July 
MONTHLY NOTICES. 
Fine Strawberries. —During- a late visit to Mr. 
Wilson’s garden, in this city, our attention was attract¬ 
ed by the very tine appearance of several bed's of straw¬ 
berries. We learned on inquiry, that most of them 
were foreign varieties, lately introduced here, and 
known under the names of Myatt’s Eliza , British 
Queen, (a seedling of the former,) Sivainstone's Seed¬ 
ling , Deptford Pine, Elton Pine , Princess Royal, 
and Victoria. Those persons who have for a few years 
past been familiar with the horticultural periodicals 
of England, will recollect the high praise which has 
been given to these kinds in that country. Several of 
them are certainly splendid-—the size very large, the 
shape perfect, and the flavor excellent. We picked one 
of the British Queen variety which measured fully 
four inches in circumference, and was of uncom¬ 
mon length. But for hardiness, productiveness, beauty 
of shape and quality, combined, the pi-eference should 
perhaps be given to the Swainstone Seedling and the 
Victoria. 
Besides the above, we saw some very superior Ameri¬ 
can varieties—particularly Ross’sPhcenix, and the Iowa. 
The former of these, appears to be fully equal, con¬ 
sidered in all respects, to any kind we have ever seen. 
Its size is large, flavor good, and its productiveness un¬ 
surpassed. The Iowa —a native from the western prai¬ 
ries-—has lately been cultivated to considerable extent 
in the vicinity of Cincinnati, and is, we think, recom¬ 
mended by Mr. Longworth, of that city. It is un¬ 
questionably a very hardy and prolific variety. Mr. 
Wilson w*ill probably be able to spare plants of all 
these kinds the present season. 
^We acknowledge the reception of some very 
fine strawberries of the Virginia-Scarlet, and Hovey’s 
Seedling varieties from the garden of Prof. Hall ; also, 
a specimen of the Black or Musk Hautbois, from the 
garden of Messrs. E. &. E. Dorr, of this city. 
The Wheat-Crop. —In some districts of Western 
New-York, and in some parts of New-Jersey, Pennsyl¬ 
vania, and Maryland, we hear that the Hessian fly has | 
done much damage to the wheat. To what extent this 
injury is likely to affect the aggregate product of the 
country, we cannot yet determine. Accounts in gene¬ 
ral from the western states, speak of the appearance of 
the crop as favorable, excepting its rankness of growth 
in some cases, from which rust is feared. 
Dutchess County Horticultural Society. —We 
have received from Radcliff Van Wagener, Esq., 
the list of premiums offered by this society for the ex¬ 
hibition holden at Poughkeepsie on the 18th and 19th 
of last month. We received no account of the exhibi¬ 
tion in time for this number. The list embraced pre¬ 
miums for cherries, apples, strawberries, raspberries, 
currants, gooseberries; flowers of various kinds, vege¬ 
tables, &c. D. B. Fuller, Esq., is President; S. B. 
Trowbridge, Treasurer; and J. H. Jackson, Secretary. 
None but members can compete for premiums, but 
membership is not confined to the county. The terms 
of membership are one dollar per year, and the exhibi¬ 
tion are to be held semi-annually. 
Sale of Merinos.—James L. Randall, Esq., of 
Clay, Onondaga Co., in this state passed through this 
city not long since, with about forty head of pure Me¬ 
rino sheep, which he purchased in Vermont. The 
bucks, twenty-four in number, were all obtained of 
John T. Rich, Esq., ofShoreham, and the ewes were 
selected from the flocks of Messrs. M. W. C. Wright, 
L. C. Remelee, and —— Cook, of the same town. 
All these flocks are widely known and highly esteemed. 
Mi*. Randall’s purchase includes many very superior 
sheep, and we unhesitatingly pronounce tlie lot an un¬ 
commonly good one. 
Importation of Saxon Sheep. —We are pleased to 
learn that Mr. S. C. Scoville, of Salisbury? Ct., has 
lately imported a lot of very superior Saxon sheep, 
consisting of four bucks and four ewes. We have not 
yet seen them, but are informed that they are of larger 
size than any Saxons before brought to this country. 
The weight of their fleeces is said to be proportionate 
to their size, while the wool lacks nothing in fineness, 
but is fully equal in this respect to any of the noted race 
to which they belong. Their shape and appearance is 
said to indicate good constitution. We presume they 
will be the means of decidedly improving the sheep- 
stock of this country, and we hope Mr. Scoville will 
be remunerated for the heavy cost he has incurred in 
their introduction. 
Potato Disease.— The idea is entertained to some 
extent, that the potato disease is caused by a “ defi¬ 
ciency of alkalies in the soil,” and that the application 
of these would be a preventive. B. F. Wilbur, in the 
Massachusetts Plowman , states that he planted last 
year, a piece of newly cleared ground with potatoes. 
Piles of logs had been burned off leaving much ashes 
in the places of them. He says—“ Wherever these 
piles were burned off, the potatoes rotted most.” 
The Seventeen Years Locust, (Cicada septem- 
decim .)-—This curious insect has made its appearance 
this season in several districts west of the Alleganies. 
We have seen no notice of its having been seen on the 
east side of the mountains, but have heard of its presence 
in Western Pennsylvania, Western Virginia, and South¬ 
eastern Ohio. They seem to excite some alarm in 
some instances—the inhabitants fearing that they will 
eat up vegetation. This fear is groundless; they eat 
nothing while in the winged state, and only do damage 
by perforating the twigs of young trees for the pur¬ 
pose of depositing their eggs. It is a singular fact, that 
though these insects appear at the same place in the 
winged state only at exact intervals of seventeen years, 
yet they do not appear in all districts at the same time, 
or in the same season. Thus their appearance in this 
section and in parts of New-Jersey occurred in 1843, 
and in other sections last season. How can this varia¬ 
tion in their appearance be accounted for? 
Fine Lambs. —Mr. E. Cheesbro, of Guilderland, 
brought some lambs to this market on the 15th of June, 
which were dropped the first week in April, that 
weighed ten pounds per quarter. They were three- 
fourths South Down, and of as fine a quality as to flesh 
as we have ever seen; we speak from actual trial. Mr. 
C. reared thirty lambs from twenty-five ewes. A few 
years ago he reared twenty-three lambs from eleven 
ewes. 
White Crows. —In an article on the ‘‘Principles of 
Breeding,” in another part of this number, it is men¬ 
tioned that white croivs have been sometimes seen. 
Since that article was written, we ha\ T e learned, through 
the Zanesville (0.) Gazette, that Dr. W. E. Ide, of 
that place, has lately received for his ornithological 
cabinet, one of these rare birds, which was shot in that 
vicinity. It is said to have belonged to a brood of four, 
two of which were black, and two entirely white, ex¬ 
cept a dark tinge towards the tips of the wings. They 
were nearly or quite full grown. Their parents were 
black. 
Ribbon Houses—Correction. —The article on, 
Ribbon Houses in our May number, stated that the 
boards for the walls should be “ a fourth of an inch 
thick.” It should have been one and a fourth of an inch 
thick. 
National fair. —This exhibition, which took place 
at the city of Washington, was continued for three days 
during the first week of the past month. We have as 
yet met with no regular or official report, but have rea¬ 
son to believe, from the notices we hai r e seen, that the 
contributions were numerous, embracing samples of 
almost every variety of fabric, implement, or article 
manufactured in this country; and of a quality highly 
creditable to the skill of our artizans. The different 
specimens of cloth are described as being very superior 
in quality and finish, equalling in these respects any of 
the same class of goods of foreign manufacture. Nume¬ 
rous specimens of silk goods were shown, which ap¬ 
pear to have attracted much attention. The fabrics 
from the establishments of Mr. Gill, at Mount Plea- 
