THE CULTIVATOR. 
Plattsburgh, as a friend informs us, its quality 
becomes so poor as to render it unworthy of cul¬ 
tivation. —o— 
Grape Culture. 
The Cold Grapery, from direct American Practioe; 
being a concise and detailed treatise on the cultiva¬ 
tion of the exotic grape vine, under glass, without 
artificial heat. By W. Chorlton, gardener to J. C. 
Green, Esq., Staten Island, New-York. 
The cultivation of exotic grapes in cold-houses 
has spread very rapidly through all parts of the 
country, and has, within a very few years, become 
a very important and interesting branch of fruit 
culture. A practical manual on this subject has 
consequently been very much needed, and we are 
glad to see this want supplied by the work before 
us, which is a plain, practical, unpretending trea¬ 
tise on the construction of cold graperies, the 
formation of the borders, and the selection, plant¬ 
ing, pruning, training, and general management 
of the vines, drawn from the author’s actual ex¬ 
perience, in which he has been eminently suc¬ 
cessful. It is an 18mo. book of 95 pages, contain¬ 
ing no more than what is actually necessary as a 
guide to beginners. ——o— 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Sea Kale. —This very agreeable and delicate 
early vegetable should be more known. Blanch¬ 
ing by covering with sand is not so convenient as 
an inverted box or keg, placed over the plant 
when just commencing its spring growth. 
The Bassano Beet. —This is undoubtedly the 
best early beet, but it is next to impossible to get 
pure seed. ¥e cultivated this variety in 1841. 
when it was first introduced, and the beets, about 
6 inches in diameter, were as flat and as smooth 
as a Norfolk turnep. All that we have lately 
procured or seen exhibited at fairs, are evidently 
more or less mixed with the turnep beet, and are 
considerably irregular or ribbed in form. 
Varieties of Pie Plant. —Some of the newer 
varieties of the Rhubarb or pie plant, are noticed 
in the Midland Florist, which may be worthy of 
careful trial in this country, when they shall be 
introduced for sale. Among the most highly 
spoken of are Fox’s King Alfred and Bailey’s 
Monarch , both of which are pronounced “ excel¬ 
lent.” The last named is rather the earliest of 
the two, quite as forward as Prince Albert, and 
both are declared to be u infinitely” superior to 
it. Bailey’s Monarch is erect in habit, handsome, 
both in foilage and stem, and of exquisite flavor. 
Fox’s King Alfred is stated to be ready to pull 
when the Victoria is peeping out of the ground— 
is very large, of beautiful color, and excellent for 
cooking. Linnoeus is a very productive, high fla¬ 
vored, second-early sort. Sanguinea is of a fine 
blood color, rather late, and has a beautiful ap¬ 
pearance and fine flavor. Myatt’s Victoria is su¬ 
perseding most other sorts for size and quality. 
The following sorts are given as the best selection 
for a succession:—Bailey’s Monarch, Fox’s King 
Alfred, Myatt’s Linnaeus, and Myatt’s Victoria. 
The following varieties are discarded:—Giant 
Scarlet, White Perfection, Jamesii, Lee’s Seedling 
and Mitchell’s Prince Albert. 
Importance of Draining Orchards. 
Robert Thompson, of the London Horticultu¬ 
ral Society, gives a striking instance of the results 
of draining an orchard, which was planted upon a 
retentive marly clay. The trees grew tolerably at 
first, but afterwards very poorly, and in twelve 
years ceased growing and some died. It was then 
determined to drain the land—3,000 feet of tile 
were laid, three feet deep, and 48 feet apart in 
parallel lines. A year or two afterwards 3,000 
feet more were laid 30 inches deep between the 
others, making the drains 24 feet apart—the 
ground was dug 8 inches deep and the trees pru¬ 
ned. The orchard bore 75 bushels the next year, 
nearly double the amount of any former year, and 
those so stunted that they had not made any 
growth for years, now sent up vigorous shoots. 
They continued in this fine condition for years, up 
to the time of writing, making shoots often three 
feet long. —©*— 
Washes for the Bark of Fruit Trees. 
The Working Farmer, in speaking of the ineffi¬ 
ciency of lime wash, objects to it on account of 
its quick conversion from a caustic state to the 
state of carbonate, forming a hard crust upon the 
surface, and preventing the perspiration of the 
bark. Soap is recommended on account of its 
well known mildness, and consequent safety of 
application, at the same time that it preserves its 
causticity for an indefinite period, assisting in the 
destruction of insects and their eggs, and softening 
and cleansing the bark, as each successive rain 
washes down a portion. A solution of soda 
(known as bleacher’s sodaNo. 1.) is most strongly 
recommended, for its power to cleanse, soften and 
render healthy the bark. For using, a pound is 
dissolved in a gallon of water. We mention these 
applications in order that our fruit raising readers 
may be able to give them a fair trial for a compa¬ 
rison of results. —-«*— 
Treatment of Injured Trees. 
In the Country Gentleman for last week, I no¬ 
tice a letter from C. H. Cleaveland, recommend¬ 
ing the use of Forsyth’s compound for injured 
fruit trees. I presume he has not made use of 
it himself, or he would say so distinctly. I tried a 
great many experiments with it some years since, 
and being finally convinced that its healing quali¬ 
ties depended solely upon its capacity for excluding 
the air, I have since abandoned its use, because 
there are plenty of other materials which will an¬ 
swer equally well, which are much less trouble¬ 
some to procure and apply. Gum shellac, dis¬ 
solved in alcohol, is as good an application as can 
be made to small wounds, and in larger places, 
(as where part of a trunk of a tree is decayed.) 
I have found common grafting clay or wax to an¬ 
swer certainly as well as Forsyth’s composition. 
Forsyth’s book was published fifty years ago, at 
which time horticulture was not as well understood 
by the people generally as at present. He was the 
king’s gardener, and anything coming from hirq 
would possess more than its intrinsic value; and 
as for the certificates which accompany it, they 
can be had for anything, from a manure to a rose. 
However, I would by no means object to a any 
body’s using it, and will add my testimony that it 
is a good plaster to keep the air out, which I take 
to be the chief object of all plasters. H. W. S. 
Cleveland-. Burlington, N. J., March 30. 
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