252 
THE CULTIVATOR 
August. 
Evefy effort should be made, wnerO there is a green¬ 
house, to get plants to flower in winter; for in a climate 
like this nothing is so refreshing as a walk in a well 
arranged green-house or conservatory in winter. Fuch¬ 
sia serratifolia is a charming plant for this purpose, 
and should be encouraged in growth now as much as 
possible. 
Now is the time, where there is a green-house of pits 
plants for storing them, to set about in earnest preparing 
for decorating the flower garden next year. Pits are 
a very useful structure for this purpose, and by having 
a flue, will cost but little and answer all purposes for 
bedding plants. The proper way is to go over the beds 
and borders, and ascertain something like the quantity 
likely to be wanted of each sort, and strike according¬ 
ly. This saves a great deal of anxiety at planting 
time, besides having the beds properly filled. Another 
point is to strike nothing but those possessing good 
qualities, as the same room and labor is taken to grow 
rubbish as good things. 
All the Pelargonium tribe strike readily in open air, 
shaded from the sun, in sand mixed plentifully with the 
soil; in fact this holds good in striking cuttings—the 
sand materially assisting the formation of the calosity 
at the base of the cuttings, after which the formation 
of roots is a matter of certainly. When they have ta¬ 
ken root, they may be taken up and potted singly in 
small pots, which is the better way, or if room is a con¬ 
sideration, several in a larger pot. 
Most other plants strike better with the assistance of 
glass. A frame is just the thing, filled with good light 
mold and sand to within six inches of the top - place a 
slight layer of sharp sand on this, pressed down rather 
firmly, the cuttings dibbed, watered, and kept moist and 
shaded, and if properly done few will miss. A hand 
light answers equally well, and if neither of these are 
at hand, then use flower pots filled to three inches of 
the top, putting plenty of drainage at the bottom, and 
a piece of glass to cover the top of the pot. Some hun¬ 
dreds may with care, be struck in this simple way. 
Bulbous plants may, as the tops die off, be taken up 
and dried in the shade. This is scarcely necessary for 
border plants, except when they become too thick, 
which will happen every third or fourth year. They 
may be planted again in the fall. 
Many of the hardy herbaceous plants strike well from 
cuttings. Where the sorts are scarce, and offsets few, 
a quantity of these may be put in. 
The beautiful tribe of Phloxes strike freely from the 
flower stalks. Too many of these cannot be had, parti¬ 
cularly of the dwarf varieties—the one called Van 
Houtii being a splendid thing; no garden, however 
small, should be without it. 
Seedling perennials should be pricked in beds a few 
inches asunder, or into the borders they are to occupy, 
three in a place, in a trianglar form—care be taken to 
plant the tall in the middle, and dwarf ones outside. This 
simple injunction is seldom sufficiently attended to, and 
shows great want of taste when the flowering commen¬ 
ces, besides very pretty dwarf plants being often hid 
from sight by their more lengthy neighbors. E. S. Al¬ 
bany, July 16, 1853. 
Sowing Garden Seeds in Autumn. 
The practice of sowing the seeds of hardy vegetables 
for early spring use, at such a time of year, that they 
shall make considerable growth before winter, has been 
practiced with great success by some gardeners, par¬ 
ticularly for lettuce, early cabbage, early onions, spi¬ 
nach, &c. Much of the success of some of these veg¬ 
etables consists in getting a sufficiently good and vig¬ 
orous growth before winter. But it often happens that 
the soil is suffering from the severe autumn drouths at 
the best time for sowing. J. Towers, a skillful En¬ 
glish gardener, pursues the following method, which, if 
found useful in that humid climate, would doubtless be 
of much greater advantage under our parching suns. 
lie first thoroughly soaks With a fine rose watering pot 
the entire space to be seeded—this is done at sun-set, 
and the surface covered With mats all night, aiid until 
late the next afternoon, when the watering and cover¬ 
ing is again repeated, and so on for three successive 
days. By this time the soil is brought to a fine, fria¬ 
ble, quite moist condition, when the drills are drawn, a 
watering given along each, the seed then sown and cov¬ 
ered with the screened earth. Every good seed will 
grow without failure, and with no appearance of the 
unevenness so common with dry weather sowing. Su¬ 
perficial watering, as is commonly practiced at this 
season, is perfectly fertile, and soaking the seed merely 
will be of little use. A very weak solution of guano, 
or of super-phosphate of lime, may be used for mois¬ 
tening the drills. 
American Grapes. 
Most of our readers are aware, that N. Longworth, 
of Cincinnati, has been for many years much interested 
in collecting and testing all the American varieties of 
the grape which could be found. He has now about a. 
hundred sorts thus collected. During the past autumn, 
he invited a committee to visit his collection, contain¬ 
ing about thirty sorts in mature fruit. The results of 
the examination made are given by Dr. Mosher, in a 
late number of the Western Horticultural Review, from 
which we select the following, which are notices of the 
most interesting or valuable sorts. The “Delaware 
County ” will be recognized by our readers as the sort 
lately described by N. Longworth as one of uncommon 
promise, and of which we lately published some ac¬ 
count. 
Zane. —Said to have been found on an island in the 
Ohio river, below Wheeling; in color and form it re¬ 
sembles Catawba; a very delicate, juicy grape, with 
less of the Foxy taste than the Catawba. 
Thatcher's. —A native of Ohio; a very fine table 
grape; resembles the Herbemont in the berries, but the 
bunches are smaller. 
Herbemont’’s (Madeira).—Vigorous, healthy vine; 
bunches large, shouldered; berries small, purple, com¬ 
pact ; skin thin; no pulp, but juicy and vinous; an ex¬ 
cellent table grape, and yields a wine resembling Span¬ 
ish Manzanella. 
Winnc. —Considered a good pleasant grape for table. 
Marion. —Resembles Isabella, probably a seedling 
from it; berries and bunches larger; it is superior as a 
table grape, an abundant bearer, and ripens uniformly. 
Plotchkiss. —One of the best of the Fox grapes. 
Clermont. —Resembles Catawba in color; a delicious 
table grape. 
Davis'. —From Kentucky; resembles Catawba; less 
aroma, more acid; large and vigorous grower. 
Lee's. —Resembles Isabella; very good. 
Diana. —From Massachusetts; seedling from Cataw¬ 
ba; smaller, paler, less pulp, thicker s'kin; juice sweet 
and pleasant; judged not equal td Catawba, as far as 
tested here. 
Hyde's Fliza. —Resembles Isabella; good. 
Delaware County.—A small grape; color like Ca¬ 
tawba ; bunches gmali; skin thin, delicate, transparent; 
juice brisk, and vinous; and judged one of the very 
best table grapes. Vine resembles a foreign grape. It 
has been pronounced by several German vine men to be 
identical with their Traminer (?) one of their best 
wine grapes. The vine is said to have been cultivated 
in’New-Jersey for sixty years, and twelve years in Del¬ 
aware county, in this State, and is as hardy as the Ca¬ 
tawba. Was sent from Europe to a foreigner in New- 
Jersey, by a brother of the person to whom sent. 
Clarkson— A small, black grape; excellent for the 
table. 
Missouri. —Small black grape; bunches loose; skin 
thin; little pulp; good for the table. Mr. Longworth 
says: “A fine wine grape where brandy is added, as 
is done with the Maderia wines, which it resembles.” 
M 
