394 _ THE CULTIVATOR. Dec, 
Boston Pine and Large Early Scarlet; and the 
Crimson Cone as a valuable market fruit. 
Thinning Fruit. 
The New England Farmer observes in relation to 
thinning fruit :—“ One peach grower informed us 
that he had taken off two-thirds of his peaches, and 
as they increased in size, and appeared too thick on 
the trees, he said he was sorry that he had not taken 
off one half of the other third. One man complained 
to his neighbor, that a certain variety of the peach 
which his friend had advised him to cultivate, was 
a poor bearer. ‘ Stop your complaint,’ was the 
reply, ‘ until you sell your fruit.’ He raised on one 
tree three dozen of peaches, sold them at two dollars 
per dozen, and was satisfied/ 7 
This, it is true, was an extreme ease, but the 
evils of overbearing, contrasted with the benefits 
of thinning, can only be understood by actual trial. 
The cultivator may be aware that, by reducing the 
number, one hundred specimens may fill his basket, 
where two hundred were required from an overloaded 
tree, but until he actually tastes and compares the 
two products he cannot appreciate the incomparably 
superior quality of the former. 
Many are deterred from thinning their fruit by 
the slow and tedious nature of the operation • but a 
very expeditious way more particularly applicable 
to the peach, is to shorten in the shoots —cutting- 
off one half or two thirds of all one season’s growth. 
Where trees have been neglected for several years, 
and are beginning to extend their branches into long 
bare arms, the shortening back should extend to 
larger portions of the branch, until the tree is 
brought into a more compact shape. We have on 
former occasions more particularly pointed out the 
nature of this mode of treatment, but we wish now 
to urge the necessity of its timely performance. 
The earlier in winter it is attended to the less will 
be the liability of its omission. We have found it 
to succeed quite as well even if performed by mid¬ 
autumn as when left till spring. 
Horticulture at Cincinnati. 
At the same time that the American Pomological 
Congress at Cincinnati did not prove to be quite so 
successful a convention as had been hoped, the ex¬ 
hibition of fruits, See. by the Horticultural Society 
of that place, appears to have been of a very im¬ 
posing character. The following account is furn¬ 
ished by the Genesee Farmer: 
The brilliancy of this exhibition took us quite by 
surprise. We expected something fine—we were 
aware that the most liberal arrangements had been 
made, and that there was abundant material in that 
city and vicinity, for a grand display; still, as we 
have already said, it took us completely by surprise, 
so admirable was it in all its parts. We felt fully 
compensated for our journey, with the gratification 
it alone afforded us. We have seen some of the 
best shows that Philadelphia or Boston has produced ; 
and although this was defective in the display of 
pears and foreign grapes, yet, as a whole, consider¬ 
ing the articles exhibited, the arrangement, &c., 
we consider Cincinnati up to, if not a little ahead 
of either; and this is saying a good deal. 
The show was held in a splendid hall nearly one 
hundred feet long and fifty feet wide. On either 
side was a table, the whole length covered with 
fruits—not little , shabby, half grown specimens one 
of a kind —but superb dishes of those magnificent 
golden and crimson fruits of the west—Fall Pippins 
as large as a man’s head, and peaches that would 
almost weigh a pound. What a display of fruits !* 
The “ Queen City” and the “ Mighty West” 
might well be proud of it. Then, in the center of 
the room were three tables,, with a walk between 
each, filled with flowers, flowering plants, and floral 
designs. The center table was appropriated to the 
design and taller plants. At the end of this table, 
just opposite the entrance, was a decorated arch, 
supported by two columns, mossed and ornamented 
with flowers, and with nuts of the Buckeye. The 
words “ Buckeye welcome” were tastefully wrought 
on the arch, with the nuts, and on the top was the 
American eagle. This tasteful object was the handi¬ 
work of the Misses Orange, and sold, we under¬ 
stood, for the sum of $50, at the close of the exhi¬ 
bition. There were many other very beautiful de¬ 
signs, by Mrs. Wm. Heaver and others. At the 
farther end of the room we noticed a villa residence 
in miniature, the grounds all laid out and planted 
with much skill and taste; and, just opposite, a 
very pretty design of a flower garden, laid out and 
planted. The two side tables were occupied with 
smaller plants, dahlias, &c. Messrs. Jackson, 
Heaver, Sayers, and others, exhibited pot plants, 
many of which were new and rare, grown in the 
best manner. Indeed, we think they would do credit 
even to a Chiswick fete. A better collection of pot 
plants, and better specimens, have, we are very 
confident, never been exhibited together before in 
this country. 
The liberal management of the Society brought 
out this grand display, and it was well rewarded. 
We were glad to see the great hall filled—thronged 
—evening after evening, and every visitor go away 
delighted. One thousand dollars were received at 
the door, and six hundred dollars were received at the 
sale, making $1,600 receipts. We congratulate the 
officers and members of this very excellent Society 
on the success which has crowned their efforts on this 
occasion. It affords them great encouragement for 
the future. 
Fruit Memoranda* 
Grafting old apple trees. —Some persons, I 
have noticed, in grafting old trees put in as many 
scions at one time as they think the tree ought to 
have. The next year they trim off all the original 
branches and leave the bare limbs with one year’s 
growth of the scions at the ends. This causes a 
rapid growth of the scions, rendering them liable to 
be broken off by the wind, and as they cannot take up 
all the nourishment furnished by the roots, shoots 
start out all over the trees which from their number 
are very troublesome. Tho7nas’s American Fruit 
Culturist shows a better way, which is, to begin at 
the top and graft a third of the tree a year till it is 
completed. This does not throw all the nourishment 
of the tree up to the scions at once; and they start 
better, from not being shaded by the foliage above 
them, when the top is grafted first. From the same 
source we learn, that instead of cutting off large 
branches and grafting them at once, it is better to 
prune the top in part which will cause an emission 
of vigorous shoots which may be grafted with ease 
and success.” I have seen trees that had begun to 
* Having been unexpectedly prevented from seeing this exhibi¬ 
tion, the writer has been favored with a glance at some of its speci¬ 
mens, through the kindness of A. H. Ernst and Dr. S. Mosher, 
by the present of a fine collection of fruits, some of them quite ex¬ 
ceeding in size and beauty any to be found even ift the fertile regions 
of Western New York. Ed. Cult. 
