Carnations, Picotees and Pinks-their propagation.-The propagation of these plants by pipings, may now be commenced; the following method we have found the most successful :-Make up a bed two feet in height in a shady situation-let it be composed of rotten manure, which possesses a gentle warmth; place a one, two, or three-light box over it, according to the number of pipings you intend to plant. The compost for this purpose should consist of one part rotten turf, one part horse manure two years old, and one part loam and road sand, in equal quantities; this should be sifted through a very fine sieve, and turned frequently in the open air to incorporate and sweeten; after which, place a layer of it, four inches in thickness, over the bed that is prepared; level it on the surface, and water it freely with a fine rose watering pot the night previous to planting. The glasses we use for striking are octagon shaped, and measure ten inches in diameter, five inches deep at the sides, and raised at the top two inches; we occasionally use larger glasses, but seldom find them answer so well. In taking the pipings from the parent plants, be careful not to strip the main stem-the better way is to cut them off with a knife. We prefer the topmost shoots for piping, for two reasons; first, they are generally of a slender growth, and will more readily strike; secondly, if left on the plants, they are difficult to layer without breaking. It is necessary to leave five or six of the young shoots on each of the mother plants for layering; if they are over-pruned, it is detrimental to the plants, and injurious to their future blooms. The pipings should be prepared by taking the two side leaves off at the third joint from the top, and cutting the stem through horizontally, just below it; shorten the two leaves above it, and the piping is complete. Having prepared and carefully labelled the number of sorts you intend to plant, proceed in the following manner :-First, sprinkle a small portion of silver sand over the bed, then make an impression with the glass that you may know the distance to plant them; fill a garden-pan with water, and place it inside the frame, that each variety may be immersed during the time of planting; take each piping between the finger and thumb, and gently run it into the soil three quarters of an inch in depth; the distance between each piping should be half an inch, and the same between the rows. After planting, they must be watered sufficiently to moisten the soil through; let them be well dried before covering them over with the small glasses, or they are likely to mildew. The advantage of double glassing will be found of great benefit in cold and wet seasons.

Pinks. These flowers will require great attention during the next three weeks: the pods must be carefully examined from day to day, and tied with bass to prevent them from bursting. We advocate the use of bass for this purpose, in preference to the India-rubber rings, or any other material. The rings are strongly recommended by some parties, but, in our opinion, they are a decided failure; we lost from twenty to thirty blooms in one season by trying the experiment. The short round pods that are difficult to open, require the bass to be placed twice round them, and secured firmly by a double knot; those of a better shape will do very well with a single VOL. XIII.-NO. VII. 30

tie. The bass should be placed evenly round the pod just below the shoulder. (Ib. p. 375).

Treatment of Azaleas.-The main stock of these will now be out of bloom; and, after the gorgeous display which we have seen this season, I think I was not far wrong in saying a few weeks back they were likely to become very general favorites. The first thing to be done with them now will be to remove the flowers and seed-pods as quickly as possible, and get them into a house or pit where they can be properly shaded, and where a moist atmosphere can be maintained at all times. Pot such plants as require it, using plenty of sand and a little three-years' old cowdung with the peat; but as they will do for a long time in small pots, do not overdo them. The best of my plants, which have done blooming, are now standing in a pit, under sheet glass, where they are shaded, but kept at a brisk growing temperature during the day, and syringed copiously, and shut up closely every afternoon just before the sun leaves the pit, but air is admitted again about nine o'clock. The second plants are under the shade of a late vinery, and receive just the same treatment as Vines, the fruit of which is just set: here they will remain until they have made their growth, and then they will be placed under sheet-glass to set the bloom. Prune in any straggling shoots, and endeavor to get nice, round, compact plants.—(Ib. p. 358).

Exposing Greenhouse Plants in Summer.-It is a common practice all over the country, to set greenhouse plants, heaths, &c., out of doors during the summer months, without any protection whatever, either to the tops or bottoms of the plants, under the vain impression that the plants will be benefited by such treatment. Plants, when fully exposed to the sun and air, after a time become so dry as to nearly make it impossible to render them moist again; hence, the scorched and stinted looking plants which may be seen in summer. The pots of plants should always be moist: persons with common observation will have noticed that all the youngest and most tender roots of plants always extend next to the pot; consequently, they are the most liable to injury from any sudden check, occasioned by the sun drawing all the moisture out of the pot, and, therefore, out of the soil also. It is no uncommon thing to see the soil quite dried away from the pot, and when the water is supplied, it sinks down the outside of the soil as fast as it can be poured in, and the soil inside is not wetted in the least. How can any person expect plants to grow by such unnatural treatment? Besides, it is a great waste of time to be so frequently watering, as is very often the case; the whole morning and evening are often spent in this way. If plants must be turned out of doors, they ought always to be plunged in some porous substance; although, at the same time, it ought to be something that will hold moisture; for instance, very rough peat, moss, or sawdust. I have seen sand used by some, but I consider it holds the wet too much, which is an evil almost as bad as the former. The pots should always be placed on slates, or some other material that will prevent the worms from entering, as they are great pests if once allowed to enter. They should also be shaded from the sun with some light material, and protected from heavy rains. By following the above plan, a great deal of time will

be saved in watering; and the plants, having a more natural treatment, will present a more natural appearance.—(Ib. p. 307).

Cultivation of Aloysia Citriodora.-Do you possess a neglected plant of the too much neglected lemon-scented Verbena, or, as it is now called, Aloysia citriodora? If so, lose no time in propagating a stock of healthy plants from young shoots produced in a forcing-plant pit. When propagated, encourage luxuriance by liberally potting in coarse loamy soil and leaf-mould; inducing compactness of growth by frequently pinching off the tops of the young shoots until the last week in May, when, having previously inured them to the external atmosphere, turn them out of their pots into spare beds in the reserve garden, the compost being open, and moderately rich, with a substratum of old mortar or rubble. If large bushy plants are desired, plant them sufficiently distant from each other, and continue stopping the growing shoots whenever they attain the length of two or three inches. In September following, re-pot them into large pots, and place them in a close cold-pit, giving scarcely any water, when they will soon become deciduous. Here they may remain until required in succession for forcing through the winter in a plant-forcing structure. Their utility, when their delightful fragrance is taken into account, need not be descanted on, inasmuch as the perfume of this odoriferous shrub is too universally appreciated to require eulogium.-(Ib. p. 307).

The Heartsease or Pansy.-These plants are easily propagated by cuttings or side shoots, which may be taken off them at almost any time of the year. To ensure success in striking, I should recommend the cuttings to be planted early in the spring, or late in the autumn, they will do equally well at either season. The side shoots which appear from under the ground, when sufficiently long, are the best for increase; they strike root much earlier, and generally make the best and soundest plants. The compost for this purpose may be composed of one part turfy loam, one part light vegetable earth, and one part horse manure, two years old. It is necessary that a small portion of road-sand should be added to this compost to prevent the water from hanging too much about the necks of the plants. After planting them, water freely, whether in pots or in the open ground, and protect with hand-glasses, if requisite, but be sure to dry the cuttings before covering them over, as confined damp is very injurious to their future growth; they must be placed in a shady situation.-(Ib. p. 311). Scarlet Pelargoniums for winter flowering.-The employment of scarlet pelargoniums for decorating the greenhouse or conservatory during winter is limited, considering their fitness and appropriate beauty, when judiciously cultivated for this purpose. Having experienced considerable success in their cultivation, I am induced to state the method I have adopted, the relation of which will doubtless interest those of your readers who are engaged in the winter cultivation of this general favorite :-In August or September, strong cuttings of Giant, Scarlet, Sol, Smith's Superb, Huntsman, General Tom Thumb, &c., were propagated and potted immediately into five-inch pots to winter, their efforts of growth being repeatedly retarded by pinching off the growing shoots until March, when they received a liberal

potting in poor soil, which induced the formation of numerous "eyes," or embryo shoots. By the last week of May, these became strong shrubby plants, and were turned out into strong wicker baskets, sunk out into a bed or border, of rough turfy loam and fibrous peat soil, with a limited quantity of silver sand and leaf mould. The baskets were filled with similar compost, and distributed six feet asunder, to allow the plants to grow into large bushy specimens, which, as they advanced in size and symmetry, were frequently stopped, to render them dwarf, and as compact as possible. They were not permitted to bloom in this situation, and, in the second week of September, the baskets (which were constructed in halves, to enable me to remove them from the enclosed ball) were divided, and the entire balls potted into very large pots, admitting the addition of fresh compost and good drainage. This accomplished, they were removed to a cold pit for a fortnight, and, in the first week of October, the best specimens were placed in the greenhouse conservatory, and soon commenced blooming, continuing in great beauty until Christmas, when they were succeeded by the remainder in the dry cold pit. At that time, the specimens first introduced into the warm conservatory were pruned back moderately, and plunged in the pit of a plant forcing structure, where they grew rapidly, receiving, as before, frequent stoppings, and waterings of weak manure-water. In the first week in March, these were restored to the conservatory again, in readiness to bloom immediately, and were succeeded in the forcing structure by the secondary lot, treated similarly on being introduced there. These latter afforded plenty of cut flowers in April and May, and finally the whole were shortened back considerably, and turned out for decorative purposes in June, making a very respectable display in the flower-garden in August and September. So much for the winter treatment of this useful and very ornamental plant, which, in my estimation, may be brought to much greater perfection as a specimen pot-plant than at present it appears to have attained; and, in expectation of more valuable communications on the subject, I am mainly induced to forward the foregoing observations.—(Ib. p. 324.)

ART. II. Domestic Notices.

Weather in Pennsylvania.-We have had a good deal of rain during the past two weeks, and crops of every kind bid fair to give more than an average yield. We have had no frost this spring to injure any thing, and the foliage of the forest is exceedingly rich, and fruit of every kind very abundant; apples, perhaps, will not be so abundant as they were last season, owing to the trees having been somewhat exhausted.-A. Huidekoper, Meadville, Pa. June, 1847.

Cultivating the Peach Tree.-Have you ever experimented any in growing peach trees from cuttings? I have been in the habit of growing tomato plants separately, in boxes about six inches square, until they were in

bloom. The boxes are very loosely put together with small nails, and, when taken carefully apart, the very numerous roots of the tomato keep the earth together, and the whole can be put in the ground without the tomato being in the least retarded by transplanting. This spring, to support the plants which I had started in this way in my grapery, I used some trimmings of a peach tree, and, on setting out the tomatoes a few days since, I found that not only each peach twig was in leaf, but that most of them had thrown out small roots an inch or two in length. The earth I used was well decayed chip manure and garden mould. As this is apparently an easy way of multiplying select peach trees without the trouble of budding, I make the suggestion (perhaps not a new one) that, if you think it worth while, you may make the experiment yourselves.-Yours, &c., A. Huidekoper, Meadville, Pa., June, 1847.

New Horticultural Society.-A short time ago, p. 188, we noticed the formation of several new Horticultural Associations. Since then, we have been favored with accounts of several additional ones in various parts of the country as follows:-The Detroit Horticultural Society, Detroit, Mich.; the Albany Horticultural Society, Albany, N. Y.; and the Montreal Horticultural Society in Canada. The constitutions, by-laws, and lists of officers of each have been sent us by some of our correspondents or subscribers. We are happy to notice this increased evidence of the spread of Horticultural taste.-Ed.

The American White Winter Calville Apple.-In your March number, you have something about the White Calville apple. I have an old tree of that name, and the fruit is pretty well described in that article. I think, with our other fine apples, it came from France. The tree is nearly dead, and is the only one I know of.-I am yours, respectfully, John Frothingham, Montreal, April, 1847.

Reid's Seedling Pear.-With your remarks in the Magazine about the name of Reid's Seedling, which I now consider the correct one, I am much pleased; they harmonize entirely with my views. I perceive by Mr. Allen's article, in the Horticulturist for May, that Mr. Reid sowed the seed from which the tree sprung. I hope you will insist upon this name, as it is full time that the propensity to rename old things and to change the names of new ones, had a check given to it; it is becoming exceedingly annoying as well as expensive to those who are not constantly alive to all these manoeuvres and deceptions now practising in the horticultural world, and it is the duty of the editors of horticultural magazines, who are the recognized guardians of horticulturists, to protect them and detect these deceptions. A case in point occurred here last autumn. A nurseryman purchased from another a number of strawberry plants; from some he lost the labels-one of those proved to be of superior character, probably well known to many, but took not at all as he is a new beginner. He immediately dubbed it the "Excelsior strawberry," and advertised it as a new variety, in the Cultivator of last September or October. This is downright cheating, and is but one of many cases that are occurring every day. It has a very injurious tendency, as many persons, who are not well informed,