276 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept. 
mon elm. forms an elegant head of this form; and, as 
these artificial drooping-headed trees are monsters, and 
grow slowly, they may be kept in dressed ground in 
smal compass for many years. The one which I have 
before me has been four years planted; and one or two 
others, about ten years planted, have yet but very small 
heads. I may here mention that the young shoots of 
the elm resemble an immense pinnate leaf, and thus the 
leaf of the rose harmonises better with the foliage of 
the elm than I was led to expect before I made the 
comparison with the rose and elm twigs united. 
“ The weeping ash makes an admirable trellis for a 
climbing, or rather a trailing rose, and having pinnate 
leaves, the harmony of the foliage with that of the rose 
is complete. Nothing but a figure drawn accurately 
to a scale can give an idea of the excellent habit of 
this tree, standing as it does on a clean single stem, 
and forming a globular head with a fine bold outline, 
which may be varied by pruning to form an umbrella 
or semi-globular head, or may be allowed to feather 
down to the ground, and form an egg-shaped tent. 
“Every weeping tree gives an idea of being depressed, 
and its very name ‘ weeping ’ implies a lack of com¬ 
fort; therefore it should not be alone, but have a part¬ 
ner, whose rosy face should look upward, and at the 
same time look light and cheerful. To intertwine a 
weeping ash with roses would seem to mingle joy with 
its weeping, and make a striking contrast, since it could 
not fail to excite surprise to see a tree that usually hangs 
its head, and never shows a flower, come forth at last 
arrayed in such a bloom. 
'“Various devices have been resorted to, to hide the un¬ 
sightly shank or stem of the standard rose, with more 
or less effect. I have sowed sweet peas around some, 
and planted other climbing plants round others, and 
have succeeded very well sometimes with such twiners 
as the ipomoeas, &c., forming a cone of elegant flow¬ 
ers, and making the rose-stake serviceable to support 
a succession of flowers after the roses had faded. Still 
these creatures of a day, the ipomoeas, &c., deserted 
me in my utmost need, for the least foul weather made 
them useless; and if they grew freely, they would not 
stop at any reasonable length, and, being so delicate 
when young, the smallest accident w r as sufficient to 
make a blank. The want of evergreens in a flower- 
garden in winter has long been felt, and, in short, to 
obtain a succession of beautiful living objects is the aim 
of eveiy gardener in planting a garden. 
“Now in this garden there exists, whether by design 
or accident I know not, a thicket of tall yew trees, 
and in front of these some very tall rhododendrons, and 
drawn up between the yews and rhododendrons, there 
stands a fine rose-bush, and, after the rhododendrons 
have flowered and faded, the rose blooms in the faee of 
this “ dismal grove of sable yew.” And it is to this 
contrast of bright rose-color against dark gr,een that I 
would invite notice: it sets off the rose to the greatest 
advantage, and always attracts attention, it being al¬ 
together unlooked for from such a sombre subject as the 
yew to wear a blush or other rosy hue upon its sullen 
face. Now, although the common yew tree be well 
adapted to support a climbing or other rose, from its 
patiently enduring to be clipped or pruned into any rea¬ 
sonable or even unreasonable form, I would prefer the 
Irish yew, and make the head of the rose stand high 
enough to bloom above the yew. It is the ordinary 
system that nature follows to elevate the panicle or 
cluster of flowers of a plant above the foliage. By 
this combination we get rid of the unsightly rose-stake, 
by effectually hiding it in the thick foliage of the yew, 
and, instead of a leafless rose, with a long grey switch 
of a stem tied to round iron or square tree all the win¬ 
ter, we have an elegant evergreen tree, admirably 
suited to the stiff formal lines of geometrical flower- 
gardens; and surely a crown of roses, if properly worm 
would set off to advantage the staid and sober virtues 
of the upright yew; neither would it derogate from its 
dignity thus to become handmaid to the queen of flow¬ 
ers.” 
The Circle of Fruits. 
Are our farmers,—or such of them as have abundant 
means for this purpose .-—supplied with good fruit du¬ 
ring the whole twelve months ? Is there any one com¬ 
modity, more calculated to increase the pleasures of 
the country, and to render home attractive to young 
people, than fine, ripe, fresh fruit, of one’s own raising, 
during the entire season 1 
Many have adopted a very erroneous opinion, and 
suppose the “ fruit season” to be a small portion of the 
year. A good selection would extend the period jofi 
actual bearing and ripening in the open air, to nearly 
six months; and such kinds as possess keeping proper¬ 
ties, if in sufficient quantity, would supply the other 
six. The first fruits ripen, even so far north as Alba¬ 
ny and Rochester, by the first day of summer, and two 
weeks earlier at Philadelphia and New-York. Three 
varieties of the cherry,—the Early May, May Bigar* 
reau, and Early Purple Guigne,—mature simultane¬ 
ously with the Duke of Kent and Large Early Scarlet 
Strawberries; a host of other fine varieties of both 
these kinds immediately succeed them. Currants and 
Raspberries soon join the list, the Primordian plum, the 
Amire Joannet and Madeleine pears^and several deli¬ 
cious Apricots are on hand by wheat harvest; after 
which the profusion of peaches, pears, apples, plums, 
grapes, &c., furnish the richest supplies through au¬ 
tumn. Grapes and pears may be kept till spring, and 
apples till the succeeding summer. But, let it be re¬ 
membered, that if the long-keepers are not laid in in 
very liberal quantities, the stores will soon be exhausted. 
The loss by unavoidable decay, as well as by consump¬ 
tion, must be allowed for. An excellent mode of keep¬ 
ing winter and spring apples, in the absence of a bet¬ 
ter, was this; “ Lock them up in a cool, dry cellar, and 
hide the key.” The error was m the limited supply; 
its correction, is to supersede the necessity by an abun¬ 
dant store. Every cultivator, therefore, while he plants 
liberally of the earliest ripening varieties, must plant 
still more liberally of long keepers; for while the for¬ 
mer are soon succeeded by others, the latter must ex¬ 
tend their benefits through a long and otherwise dreary 
period. 
The Tree Pceonia. 
Among all the fine and newly introduced shrubs, 
whether tender or hardy, nothing, we believe, will com¬ 
pare with the old Banks’ Tree Poeonia. I|- endures the 
severest winters of western New-York, without the 
slightest injury, and will flourish with tW most com¬ 
mon cultivation in any good soil. From its slow growth 
several years are required before its full beauty is de¬ 
veloped. A plant in the writer’s garden, about seven 
years old, presents in its mass of branches and foliage 
a hemispherical form, and is about three feet high and 
five feet in horizontal diameter; and during the flower¬ 
ing season the present year, bore seventy flowers, all in 
bloom together, densely double, and va-rying each from 
five to six inches in diameter. 
Large Peaches. —The Ohio Cultivator states that 
very large peaches were exhibited at the Fair of the 
Columbus Horticultural Society, one measuring a foot 
in circumference [about 4 inches through,] and weigh¬ 
ing 14 ounces. We believe the largest peach on au¬ 
thentic record, is that stated on the authority of George 
Lindley, in his “ Guide to the Orchard,” which was 
14 inches in circumference. It had received the, high¬ 
est culture on a wall.. 
