FRUITS IN WESTERN NEW-YORK.

BY W. R. SMITH, OF MACEDON, N. Y.

THE original settlers of the "Genesee Coun- | such light upon this interesting subject, as try" frequently supplied themselves with I may be able, and to assist in forming a fruit, by planting unimproved trees, raised correct estimate of the value of kinds under from seeds brought with them. It is rea- notice. sonable to suppose that these were generally selected from favorite and superior kinds.

Now, it is possible, that like the Yellow Bellflower, it may not succeed as well in the stiff loams of East-Bloomfield, as upon a lighter soil; or that like the Newtown Pippin, generous cultivation may in some measure remedy its deficiencies; but, unless this can be done, however valuable for the garden, or small orchard, it is worthless

vators, and my own observations accord | ciently to say, that this fault is characteristherewith. Last autumn I visited several tic of the variety. orchards where this variety was raised, and among these, that of Timothy Buell, Jr., East-Bloomfield. Here were trees, which had been grafted about twenty years, were well pruned, healthy, and in good soil, though under grass. The apples were about one-fourth the size usually described. Under the same circumstances, were young trees, showing many superb specimens; but as a market fruit, when compared with the even here were intermixed too large a pro- | Baldwin, Newtown Pippin, or Roxbury portion of small ones. Russet.

I think I have examined the subject suffi

Macedon Nursery, 5 mo., 1846.

SWAINSTONE'S SEEDLING STRAWBERRY.

AMONG all the new varieties of strawber- be tasted again and again with so much ries that have come to us from England, within the last five years, few that we have seen are superior to Swainstone's Seedling.

more relish and gusto, that there was soon no doubt which sort had the popular vote; and the matured and grave sense of the meeting, if we remember correctly, was that nothing there seen or tasted, surpassed or even equalled Swainstone's Seedling in point of high flavor.

After this, we may say, that Swainstone's Seedling is now in full bearing with us this season. It is certainly a strawberry of the very highest flavor, of great beauty of ap

said in England to bear for a long time in succession; of this point we are not yet able fully to speak, though its crop i, certainly maturing gradually, and not all at once as does that of many sorts.

A year ago we were in Boston, at one of those interesting and beautiful weekly exhibitions of fruits and flowers, made by the most zealous of all our horticultural societies, that of Massachusetts. Strawberries were then in perfection, and a great variety of sorts were contributed. In addition to all the leading kinds, both native and in-pearance, and an excellent bearer. It is troduced, some new seedlings were shown for the first time. We had the honor of the very piquant and agreeable invitation to sit on the committee of taste, to decide which were really the best sorts in point of flavor. We do not at this time mean to say what celebrated kinds were tasted and passed over in silence, as far below the standard of high flavor; but some fine dishes of Swainstone's Seedling, from the President of the Society, seemed to pass round the committee's table so much more rapidly than those of any other sort, and to

The fruit of this strawberry, with us, is of average large size: from three to four inches in circumference are the ordinary dimensions. The foliage is very large and rich in appearance, and the foot-stalks of the leaves are long. The fruit is borne in large clusters on high and pretty strong footstalks. The berries are very regular in

shape, varying from ovate to conical. The ] in this country, it remains to be proved how seeds are very slightly sunk; the sur- far it will answer for general cultivation in face of the fruit is rather even, glossy, and all parts of the country. of a beautiful light scarlet, a good deal lighter in color than that of most pine strawberries. The flesh is solid, and very high flavored. The season of ripening is about midway between early and late, but it continues ripening for a good while.

Last winter is the first in which we fairly tested the hardiness of this variety. With us, it has so far proved perfectly hardy, much more so than some of the old Pine strawberries. But as it is yet comparatively new

In England, Swainstone's Seedling bears a very high character. It is placed among the few which rank as of the first quality, in all respects, in the garden of the Horticultural Society of London. Dr. Lindley recommends it as one of the six very best sorts for cultivation in that country. Our own experience, thus far, leads us to believe that it will prove, on the whole, one of the very finest of Pine strawberries for this climate.

REMARKS ON THE USE OF GUANO.

BY LONG ISLAND.

DEAR SIR-In common with many other and more powerful than fifty times its persons, my attention was last season turned to this new manure. A substance for which it was claimed that it was cheaper

weight in common manure-that it could be transported and applied with little or no cost-and which acted upon all kinds of

This season, not discouraged by my bad success, I have tried Guano again. Its effects are almost entirely the reverse of those of last year.

I have applied Guano to the very same crops as last season. In almost every case, its effects have been all that I could desire. My small fields of potatoes and corn, treated with it at the same rate as in 1845, show, at the present moment, a very different ap

vegetable growth with wonderful power, could not but demand the immediate and serious attention of all farmers and gardeners. I procured half a ton of the best Guano, in April, 1845. I applied it at the rate of 400 pounds per acre, to fields of corn and potatoes, and to a great variety of garden crops. The season, as all your readers will remember, was an unusually dry one. In the case of my potatoes, that portion of my field to which Guano had been applied, was pearance. In short, their appearance is all decidedly injured by its application. The yield was one-third less than an adjoining equal portion of the same field, where common barn-yard manure had been applied at the rate of eight wagon loads to the acre, and even considerably less than another equal portion of the same field, where no manure whatever had been applied.

To my field of corn, I gave a top-dressing of Guano, when the blades were about two inches high. The benefit was not great, but the field was perceptibly greener, and a little more vigorous than an adjoining one treated in the common mode.

that I could desire. In several crops, the strength and growth of the crop treated with Guano, is almost double that of those treated in my ordinary way with manure.

In kitchen garden vegetables, the result is equally satisfactory; excepting in the case of cucumbers, I do not recall one vegetable that has not been greatly benefited by it— that is to say, in their growth and general aspect. My strawberries, in rows side by side, every other one of which was watered with liquid Guano, show the greatest improvement in those rows so watered.

But the effect is perhaps more clearly In my garden, I perceived but little bene- visible in grass lands. To them, I applied fit from the use of Guano. Peas, strawber- in March Guano mixed with double its ries, and beans, treated pretty liberally bulk of plaster. The growth was so changed with Guano, showed no improvement what-in color in one week, that it was noticeable ever. A large patch of onions, with which almost as far as the eye could see the field. Guano had been drilled in, almost entirely At the present moment, my men are mowfailed; another patch in the same soil, ma- ing and making hay; and the yield, judg nured slightly with compost, succeeding per- ing merely by the loads, is one-third fectly well. All plants newly transplanted, heavier. to which this stimulant had been applied in the soil around the roots, died-even when only a small quantity, previously mixed with soil, was used; and many young crops of vegetables, to which Guano was applied as a top-dressing at the rate of 300 pounds to the acre, were nearly burned up by it. So far is but the experience of last seascu-a single year, and the most unfavorable of summers for growth.

You will naturally ask why this great. difference in the results of the two seasons? I answer, solely on account of the difference in the seasons themselves. Last year was so dry, that the Guano either had no effect, or else it was worse than useless; acting like caustic, and absolutely burning up the crops.

Besides this, I learned something from experience in the way of using Guano.

This year I have only used Guano either during a shower, or before a storm. So used, it always acts like magic. Once or twice, when I was so unlucky as to use it unseasonably-that is to say, no rain, but several hot dry days following, the effect was bad-the plants suffered, if much was applied; or the effect was not to be seen, if only a little was put on.

I offer these remarks in a very simple and candid manner, because I think it is only by a comparison of experiments that the public will get to know any thing about the value of Guano.

My own opinion is, that it is a very powerful manure; a rather dangerous manure in the hands of beginners, and those unacquainted with it. I do not think it is of any value here, unless applied pretty early, and when a moist season follows; then it is of the greatest value. It is not so good on dry soils as on moist ones, and it will never be worth so much to us as to the English. If we could afford always to apply it in a liquid form, it would be the best way; as it is, my advice is, use Guano, but only use it in rainy weather. Respectfully yours,

LONG ISLAND.

Culture of the Laurel-Interesting fact in Horticulture.

BY J. J. THOMAS, MACEDON.

posited soil. The result was entirely successful, though all attempts on the common and adjacent soil had failed. Whether the theory be correct or not, the practice may be of use in many other cases.

It is well known that the Laurel, one of the | the Laurel transplanted into this newly demost beautiful evergreen and flowering shrubs, will not flourish on most of the fertile soils of the country, and especially on what are termed limestone soils. An eminent horticulturist of Western New-York,* has lately tried experiments with its management, which have proved completely successful. His operations were founded on the position, that this plant, like many others, will not flourish in soils containing carbonate of lime,—and that where portions of soil have been for centuries subject to a free natural drainage below, the carbonate of lime has been gradually dissolved and carried away by the insensible portion of carbonic acid contained in the water thus passing downward through the surface soil.

Acting in accordance with this belief, soil was obtained from the banks of gulleys, where this filtering was supposed to have been most completely effected, and carted to the garden where beds were formed, and

David Thomas, of Cayuga.

It may not always be necessary to resort to gulley banks, as knolls and other elevated points of soil may possess similar properties. The character of such soils is of ten indicated by the nature of the vegetable growth it supports. In the beds of soil thus formed, the common red sorrel was found to grow perfectly rampant. It may, perhaps, be familiar to many of our readers, that the red sorrel more frequently flourishes on knolls, hill sides, &c., where this drainage, already spoken of, most effectually takes place.

*

It may also be found, that such plants as the Laurel may be cultivated to advantage by the application to the soil of certain

* This plant, the Rumex acetosella, must not be confounded with the wood sorrel, or Oxalis acetosella, which flourishes in rich calcareous soils.