tances, say about a foot apart; being careful to err on the right side, and lay in too little rather than too much; selecting such shoots as will give the tree a systematical and handsome appearance.

The pruning all done, and the shoots tied in their proper places, give air every warm day, in order to keep the buds from starting too early. The trees should be syringed with the following preparation, before they begin to grow, in order to destroy any insects, especially the red spider, which, in our dry climate, is always a great pest, and, if the trees are not examined very minutely, and attended to early, it will be difficult to exterminate them without considerable trouble, and, perhaps, injury to the crop. This preparation, if applied as directed, will stop their ravages, and, if continued once a week, will effectually destroy them :

To ten pounds of flour of sulphur, add four pounds of quick lime; put them into a tight cask, and then pour boiling water over them just sufficient to slake the lime, adding altogether about twelve gallons, then stir the whole well together, and, as soon as they appear well mixed, cover the top of the cask over with a tight mat, to keep the steam in; then let it stand for a day or more, when it will be well settled and ready for Then proceed carefully to turn off the water as clear as possible, and put it away into some other vessel for use, as occasion may require. A pint of this mixture will be sufficient for four gallons of water.

use.

It is also probable, that when the trees are in a growing state, they may be troubled with the aphis, or green fly, which may be easily detected by the curling up of the leaves; they may be easily destroyed by a strong fumigation of tobacco, or by syringing with whale oil, soap and water, but the former mode is greatly preferable.

The treatment for the third year will not differ much from that of the last season. The trees will have to be looked over regularly throughout the summer, divesting them of all superfluous wood, and tying in all shoots that require it.

As soon as the wood begins to ripen, let down all the sashes, so that there shall be a free circulation of air all through the house night and day, until the frost begins to be rather severe. This will cause the trees to ripen their wood

thoroughly, and form strong prominent buds. The winter pruning should be done in November or December, and this finishes the labor for this year.

Presuming that all has gone on favorably thus far, a small crop of fruit may be expected the coming season. But I caution the amateur not to try to produce too much fruit, as he will injure his young trees by so doing, unless they are very thrifty; a few specimens only should be suffered to remain, looking rather to the furnishing of the trellis, for a crop the next year, when he may reasonably expect some fine fruit.

As soon as the trees begin to show flowers, the temperature will have to be kept very even through the day, allowing the thermometer to range from 75° to 85°, and at night from 50° to 60°, or even ten degrees lower, without injury, if the night is cold, but it is always best, if there is danger of a sharp and frosty night, to shut the house up early, as a preventive. All syringing should be discontinued till the fruit sets, keeping a rather dry atmosphere, or the blossoms will not set well. As soon as the flowers begin to drop, commence syringing regularly, until the fruit begins to ripen, and then discontinue it till after the fruit is gathered.

When the fruit is done stoning, and the weather begins to be warm, the sashes back and front should be opened, as much as possible, through the day, and as soon as the weather averages a good temperate heat, the sashes should be left open, both day and night, till the fruit is gathered; unless this is attended to, the fruit will have but little flavor. Closing up the house in case of heavy rains, or cold east winds, is of course an exception; but, as soon as the fruit is gathered, the sashes should be removed from the house altogether, and not put on again till frosts set in, when the trees will require some protection from their severity. After the fruit appears to be well stoned, considerable attention should be given to thinning the crop only a single fruit should be left, at distances averaging six or eight inches apart, all over the surface of the tree as soon as the fruit has taken its last swelling, such leaves as shade it too much should be partly removed, so that part of the fruit may be exposed to the free action of the sun, which, I think, adds greatly to its flavor.

The fruit being gathered, the routine of culture already detailed should be continued.

The varieties which I think best suited for house cultivation, are the following:

PEACHES :-Royal George, Royal Kensington, Gross Gallande, Grosse Mignonne, Malta, Noblesse, Old Mixon Free, Early York, and Crawford's Late Melaca.

NECTARINES:-Elruge, Broomfield, Murray, and Red Ro

man.

Fall River, Mass. March 17, 1847.

ART. VII. On the Propagation of Stove and Greenhouse Exotics; in a Series of Letters. By JAMES KENNEDY, Gardener to S. T. JONES, Staten Island, New York.

LETTER I. Propagation by Seeds.

I PRESUME that the design of your valuable Magazine is the improvement of Flora and Horticulture; and, therefore, I consider it the duty of every practical gardener to contribute occasionally the results of his experience, for the benefit of his younger brethren. With this view, however, I take up my pen, to give the results of my experience, on the various modes of propagating greenhouse and stove exotics, and shall embody such observations as are calculated to render comprehensive the whole subject to even the most inexperienced. I shall arrange the various modes under the following respective heads, and treat of each separately :

1, Seeds; 2, Cuttings; 3, Offsets; 4, Layers; 5, Inarching; 6, Root Divisions; 7, Leaves; 8, Suckers; and 9, Plant divisions. 1. SEEDS.-When an exotic is in flower that will yield seed, it ought to be placed in a situation where it can command the full benefit of the sun's rays, and, if the weather is favorable, it should be abundantly supplied with air and water, in order that the seeds may swell off to their proper size, and get thoroughly ripened; for, on these two points, depends their future germination when placed in the soil to produce new

individuals. Should the plant, at any time, be exposed to the open air, as is not an infrequent occurrence with inhabitants of the greenhouses in summer time, it should be placed in a situation where showers cannot reach to injure the impregnating and fertilizing part of the frutification. When the seed is ripe, it will rattle in the seed-vessel or pod, and should be gathered in a perfectly dry state, after which let it be exposed to the air, in a shady place, for a few days, that it may still get further hardened, when it may be put up in separate parcels, labelled, and put up in a dry place till required for sowing, (which time varies according to the object in view.) Spring sowing, however, is the most favorable for all seeds, (except in case of imported ones, a quantity of which should. be sown as soon as received,) for sometimes seeds will grow when first received, that will not, if kept a few months longer, and the remainder can be sown with those saved at home; but spring sowing is preferable to any other season; the plants get a long season for growth, and consequently must be better prepared to stand the severity of the coming winter.

The sized pots I have always been in the habit of using as seed pots, are those of five inches diameter, and three and a half deep, a quantity of which I always get ready previous to the time of sowing. 1 first have them thoroughly washed, outside and inside, and, when dry, I prepare them in the following manner :-Over the hole in the bottom of the pot, I place a large piece of broken pot or oyster shell, and over this about an inch of finely broken potsherds, about the size of garden peas; and then fill my pot to within an inch or so of the top, according to the size of the seeds to be sown, with compost previously prepared, composed of two thirds heath soil, and one third fine friable loam, rather light than otherwise. The surface on which the seeds are sown as well as the covering soil, should be sifted very fine. The seeds sown and covered, the whole should be settled with a slight sprinkling of water, from a fine rose watering-pot, when they should be removed to the propagating house, or to a previously prepared hot-bed, when the burning heat is over. Keep the frame-lights pretty close at night, but allow a little air in the middle of fine days, that any rank steam may escape; the pots should be plunged up to the rims in sawdust, or some such material, and shaded,

during bright sunshine, by means of mats. Due care must be taken to supply them with water when required, but not till it is really needful.

When the rudiments of the second leaf are formed, the pots should be removed to a shaded part of the stove, there to remain till the second leaf is perfectly formed, and the rudiment of the third leaf is visible, when they must be carefully potted off into thumb pots, in compost according to their nature, and again put in a shaded place till they have taken root; when they should be finally but gradually exposed to their respective departments,-the greenhouse sorts to the greenhouse, and the stove kinds to the stove ;-and, in conclusion, I beg to say, that the sooner seedlings are potted off the better, as they do not miss their moving so much when potted young.

The young gardener must bear in mind, that the grand feature to be attended to, in propagation by seed, is, that it must fully reach maturity previous to gathering, for on this depends its vigorous and healthy germination. The second condition necessary to successful germination, is heat, and this must be supplied by artificial means. The third condition necessary to insure success, is moisture; therefore water or some equivalent is indispensable; but the quantity given is a matter of importance, as there may be too much or too little. In the first case, the seeds will burst and rot, and, in the second, they will remain inactive in the soil. The fourth condition necessary is air, and this must be regulated by the state of the weather, still bearing in mind, that shading is necessary in bright sunshine.

I think I have extended these remarks to the full legitimate length of one article, and, if considered worthy of a place in your valuable Magazine, they are much at your service, and I shall continue the subject in a future number.

Staten Island, N. Y., April 7, 1847.

Mr. Kennedy may be assured his article is most opportune and valuable. Indeed, we view such articles as this, and that upon the heath, in our last number, by Mr. Cadness, as the very essence of practical knowledge. Could all gardeners, who are able to impart information, but have the same liberal