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The ripening process consists in a gradual and complete removal of superfluous water; and in a perfect conversion of fluid, crude, organizable matter into the more solid substances which represent it during winter. These two processes, although essentially distinct, are nevertheless brought about by the same agents and may be regarded as one. Superfluous water is driven off by heat, light, and currents of air acting upon the surface; sclerogen, starch, gum, resin, and other solid secretions are in like manner formed by the force exerted upon vegetable vitality by heat and light, and by the carbonaceous matter derived from the air. If these agents are insufficient the wood remains soft and watery, and the solid secretions are so incompletely elaborated that they possess little of the stability natural to them in a complete condition. Heat and light together, in the presence of air, if possessing the requisite power, solidify all the tissues and all their contents, keeping up the play of chemico-vital action until the process of assimilation and elaboration is terminated.

The effect of this ripening process is by no means limited to giving plants a power of resisting cold; that is but an incident in the operation. The main object is to provide an abundance of food, of the proper kind, for the instantaneous nutrition of the parts which are about to appear in the succeeding spring, and also, in many cases, to the production of the embryo flowers upon which the hopes of the gardener are founded. It is literally true, that not a flower will appear upon a camellia, or an azalea, or a pear, or a peach, or a strawberry, or any other tree, shrub, or herb, unless there has been such an amount of heat and light, and free exposure to the air, as will have caused nutriment in abundance to be formed, and the young and tender, nay invisible scales, which come together and make the flower, to arrange themselves in the order assigned to them by the Creator.

This explains the great advantage of a dry, warm autumn to our strawberry beds, which then produce an abundant blossom in the following year; while those who coddle and nurse their plants in cool and shady places, where they are always growing, have leaves in plenty, but not a fruit. This explains why camellias flower so ill in close greenhouses facing the north, or darkened by vines, where they have neither heat, nor light, nor air enough; and why, under circumstances the reverse of this, a bright sun, its accompanying heat, and the constant currents invariably present in the open air, flower-buds appear in crowds.

In England we have little idea of the extent to which this ripening should go; it is doubtful indeed whether the wood of exotics is ever ripened in England. We are told that in hot latitudes the wood of the peach and vine becomes as hard as mahogany, and as brittle, up to the points of the shoots. We know that numerous shrubs, especially of the race called hard-wooded, never become in cultivation what the samples of them brought from their natural abodes have led us to expect. Among New Holland plants this is more especially the case; we see them in our herbaria loaded with blossoms; in our gardens we are satisfied if they bloom at all. It is said that the Grevilleas and Hakeas, and Persoonias are in some instances sheets of white or yellow, or red; we are too happy if we see their leaves.

In cultivation is to be found a shrub, in little esteem, called Xylomelum occidentale; a correspondent, writing from the Vasse River, where it is wild, speaks of it as "a most beautiful tree; the blossoms are pure white, and their drooping soft wreaths, blended with the stern dark green leaves, are indescribably elegant." All that is wanted to ensure the same appearance here is to ripen the wood as it ripens in Western Australia. Perhaps no shrubs in existence are equal in perfect beauty to the Verticordias and Chrysorhöes of Western Australia; the brilliancy of their flowers when dead and dried is still metallic, and their number is countless among the dark green heathery leaves. We shall never see them thus till their wood is well ripened; perhaps we may never see them in any kind of beauty, for it may happen that art is unable to supply the requisites for perfect maturation. Let us, however, do what we can.

Gardeners may rely upon it that they cannot neglect any means of ripening perfectly every perennial plant which they may cultivate. They may be assured that no amount of ripening which they can possibly secure will be excessive; on the side of excess they cannot err. Let them, then, now that the time has come, put in action every contrivance which their circumstances can furnish. Spare lights over wall trees, hand-glasses over ripening herbs, warm dry places for potted plants of all sorts; heat, light, and abundance of air secured by whatever means may be at command. These are what they must rely upon for next year's crop, and without them all the cultivation in the world will be of small avail.

But there is a difficulty in the way. Heat and light are dangerous powers, and will destroy life as well as invigorate it; and there is always a risk, that in pushing the ripening process to its limits by artificial means, plants may perish under the operation. How to guard against this contingency is what no rules can teach. Here the mere art of gardening comes into requisition, and experience alone must be appealed to. No gardener, however, who deserves the name, can have the least doubt as to the way in which the difficulty can be met.—(Gard. Chron., 1849, p. 547.)

Hints for Amateurs-The following are select, distinct, pot and beddingout plants, of various colors, for an amateur's garden, and are easily kept in a frame or pit during winter:—

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Dahlias and Dahlia Exhibitions of 1849.-The dahlia season in England has been exceedingly favorable, and the exhibitions have been numerous, well attended, and abundant in the very finest specimens. The system of offering liberal premiums, adopted by various successful cultivators, in addition to those offered by the several floral societies, has added new zeal to the principal amateur fanciers, and induced a better cultivation of the plants, and the production of a greater number of new varieties. The floricultural journals are filled with the reports of the exhibitions, and, as usual, we copy the names of the winning flowers of a few of the principal societies, which will show which are the most successful varieties :

NORTH LONDON FLORICULTURAL SOCIETY.-Best twenty-four blooms :Beeswing, Conspicua, Richard Cobden, Queen of Roses, Antagonist, Louis Philippe, Mrs. Anderson, Gen. Vyse, Mr. Seldon, Golden Fleece, Scarlet Gem, Privateer, Princess Radzville, Standard of Perfection, Yellow Standard, Admiral Stopford, Imbricata, Toison d'Or, Emperor, Mrs. Edwards, Shylock, Triumph, Marchioness of Cornwallis, and Capt. Warner, to Mr. Bragg, Slough.

NORTHAMPTON DAHLIA EXHIBITION.-Best twenty-four blooms:-Golden Fleece, Crocus, Mrs. Shelly, Essex Triumph, Beeswing, Princess Louisa, Lady St. Maur, Marquis of Worcester, Mr. Seldon, Toison d'Or, Nonpareil, Miss Vyse, Marchioness of Cornwallis, Scarlet Gem, Black Prince, Earl of Clarendon, Yellow Standard, Princess Radzville, Shylock, Dreadnought, Berryer, Privateer, Miss Weller, Violet Perfection, to Mr. Holliday.

CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.-Best twelve blooms:-Marchioness of Cornwallis, Duke of Wellington, Crocus, Beeswing, Grenadier, Mr. Seldon, Scarlet Gem, Purple Standard, Princess Radzville, Sir E. Antrobus, Empress of Whites, and Boule de Feu, to Messrs. James Dickson & Sons.

SURREY AMATEUR DAHLIA SHOW.-Best twelve blooms:-Toison d'Or, Essex Triumph, Julia, Dr. Graham, Miss Vyse, Black Prince, Mrs. Shelly, Sir Robert Peel, James Girling, Shylock, Lillywhite, to Mr. Kirkpatrick. Fancy Dahlias.-The following are sixteen of the winning flowers in this interesting class, viz:-Mrs. Shaw Le Fevre, General Cavaignac, Lady Granville, Triomphe de Madeburg, Smith's La Reine, Emperor de Maroc, Picotee, Madame Wachy, Charles Perry, Sunbeam, Striata Perfecta, Keepsake, Jenny Lind, Remembrancer, Miss Blackmore, and Conspicua.

Seedlings of 1849.-Prince Edward, a scarlet; Floral Beauty, crimson and white, (fancy;) Mrs. Jewett, white, tipped with purple: Proctor's Elizabeth, blush, with rosy purple stripes; Miss Compton, bright red and white; Keynes's Magnificent, rosy lilac; Sir F. Bathurst, (Keynes's) crimson; Legg's Premium, purple; Earl of Clarendon, orange; Sylph, a white ground variety; Aurantia Campacta, bright orange; Gaiety, (Keynes's,) yellow, mottled with red; Beauty of the Grove, very fine, dark. These were awarded first class certificates, and are all that were shown of any great merit.

The amateur will be at no loss to make out from the above a desirable list of all the choicest additions of the year.-Ed.

ART. III. Domestic Notices.

Horticulture in Illinois.-When a native of Massachusetts comes to Northern Illinois, he misses the high, rocky granite hills, and the evergreen trees of New England. Pine trees are found near Chicago, and are said to be in this county, but I have never seen any of them. The only evergreen tree which 1 have met with, is the Red Cedar. Our forests are chiefly composed of oaks, walnuts, (black and white,) hickories, (including what is called the Ohio hickory, a large kind of fruit,) elms, ashes, maples, poplars, Kentucky coffee tree, lime tree, &c. &c. Our wild fruits are plums, crab apples, paw-paws, nuts, grapes, strawberries, gooseberries, mandrakes, &c. &c. As to wild flowers, we have them from early in the spring to late in the fall. I have seen asters and viola pedata in bloom within a few days, beside other compound flowers; and I suppose I could still find gentians in flower. Violets, of the kind which I have named, can always be found in bloom here in the fall, but not with you, I think. I do not remember ever finding them at that season near Salem. I intend, at some future time, to give you a list of some of our earliest flowers, with the time of blossoming. But few peaches have been raised near here this season; last year they were very plenty. Apples are not so plenty as they were the last year.

Peaches are a very uncertain crop with us-they will fail say about 3 years out of 5; the trees are great growers and the buds are generally winter killed. Apples and plums will probably do well here, but pears are apt to blossom too early, and the sun is, I think, apt to be too hot for cherry trees; in fact, it troubles some of our apple trees so, that, on the south side of the trunk and limbs, the bark turns black and dies, and some of them will be killed by it. In your last number, you say the Julienne pear is "a very vigorous grower." (I quote the substance, without looking at the article.) What I have received for that kind, has always been a sickly looking and growing kind, and the trees have always died in a year or two; but I have a graft of it on an apple stock, (not in the root but on the trunk,) which grows well, and I hope to see the fruit in a year or two. What was sent me as Domine Dull plum, blossoms very full every year, but, like the Cherry plum, the fruit is never set, or but very few, which soon fall off. The tree is very vigorous, and the kind is said "to bear to a fault." We have fruited but few of our trees, although we have had some of them seven or eight years. Golden Russet-one tree is true-one from another source proves to be the Yellow Siberian Crab, (a slight mistake;) Monstrous Pippin proves to be a medium sized summer fruit, (do. do. ;) Bartlett pear will probably prove to be Passe Colmar, and so I suppose it will be with the majority of one lot of trees. I have no confidence in any of the labels. Our samples of Golden Russet and of Ribston Pippin, were very fine for the first year of bearing. Red Siberian Crab bears well, also the yellow, the latter tree is our earliest fruit tree to leaf out in the spring.— Yours, respectfully, Edward S. L. Richardson, Kendall, Kendall Co., Ill., Nov. 1849.

ART. IV. Exhibitions of Horticultural Societies.

New Bedford Horticultural Society.-The third annual exhibition of this society was held at the City Hall, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, the 26th, 27th, and 28th of September, 1849. The report which has been forwarded by our correspondent, Mr. Crapo, is too long to insert entire, and we therefore copy the prefatory remarks of the committee, with the names of a few of the principal exhibitors of fruits and flowers:

The Committee on Fruits present the following as their report:

They have much pleasure, in the outset of their report, in being able to state, that the display of fruits on the occasion was excellent and far exceeded their most sanguine expectations; for, in addition to the scarcity of almost every kind of fruit which has so generally prevailed the current year, the society has been deprived of the aid of many of its former contributors and most zealous cultivators, who are now absent from us, seeking a more golden harvest in other climes.

Notwithstanding, however, these and many other discouraging circumstances, which have attended the exhibition, the efforts of the society, in this department at least, have been crowned with success.

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