But the horticultural societies in ail parts of the country, are gradually raising the criterion of excellence among amateurs, and the double and treble prices paid lately by confectioners for finely-grown specimens, over the market value of ordinary fruit, are opening the eyes of market growers to the pecuniary advantages of high cultivation.

Perhaps the greatest advance in fruit growing of the last half dozen years, is in the culture of foreign grapes. So long as it was believed that our climate, which is warm enough to give us the finest melons in abundance, is also sufficient to produce the foreign grape in perfection, endless experiments were tried in the open garden. But as all these experiments were unsatisfactory or fruitless, not only at the north but at the south - it has finally come to be admitted that the difficulty lies in the variableness, rather than the want of heat, in the United States. This once conceded, our horticulturists have turned their attention to vineries for raising this delicious fruit under glass - and at the present time, so much have both private and market vineries increased, the finest Hamburgh, Chasselas, and Muscat grapes, may be had in abundance at moderate prices, in the markets of Boston, New York and Philadelphia. For a September crop of the finest foreign grapes, the heat of the sun accumulated in one of the so called cold vineries - (i. e. - a vinery without artificial heat, and the regular temperature insured by the vinery itself,) are amply sufficient.

A cold vinery is constructed at so moderate a cost, that it is now fast becoming the appendage of every good garden, and some of our wealthiest amateurs, taking advantage of our bright and sunny climate, have grapes on their tables from April to Christmas - the earlier crops forced - the late ones slightly retarded in cold vineries. From all that we saw of the best private gardens in England, last summer, we are confident that we raise foreign grapes under glass in the United States, of higher flavor, and at far less trouble, than they are usually produced in England. Indeed, we have seen excellent Black Ham-burghs grown in a large pit made by covering the vines trained on a high board fence, with the common sash of a large hot-bed.

On the Ohio, the native grapes - especially the Catawba - have risen to a kind of national importance. The numerous vineries which border that river, particularly about Cincinnati, have begun to yield abundant vintages of pure light wine, which takes rank with foreign wine of established reputation, and commands a high price in the market. Now that the Ohio is certain to give us Hock and Claret, what we hear of the grapes and wine of Texas and New-Mexico, leads us to believe that the future vineyards of New-World Sherry and Madeira may spring up in that quarter of our widely extended country.

New-Jersey, so long famous for her prolific peach orchards, begins to show the effects of a careless system of culture. Every year, the natural elements of the soil needful to the production of the finest peaches, are becoming scarcer and scarcer, and nothing but deeper cultivation, and a closer attention to the inorganic necessities of vegetable growth, will enable the orchardists of that state long to hold their ground in the production of good fruit. At the present moment, the peaches of Cincinnati and Rochester are far superior, both in beauty and flavor, to those of New York market - though in quantity the latter beats the world. The consequence is, that we shall soon find the peaches of Lake Ontario outselling those of Long-Island and New-Jersey in the same market, unless the orchardists of the latter state abandon Malagatunes and the yellows, and shallow ploughing.

The fruit that most completely baffles general cultivation in the United States, is the plum. It is a tree that grows and blossoms well enough in all parts of the country - but almost everywhere it has for its companion the curculio, the most destructive and the least vulnerable of all enemies to fruit. In certain parts of the Hudson, of central New-York, and at the west, where the soil is a stiff fat clay, the curculio finds such poor quarters in the soil, and the tree thrives so well, that the fruit is most delicious. But in light, sandy soils its culture is only an aggravation to the gardener. In such sites, here and there only a tree escapes, which stands in some pavement or some walk forever hard by the pressure of constant passing. No method has proved effectual but placing the trees in the midst of the pig and poultry-yard - and notwithstanding the numerous remedies that have been proposed in our pages since the commencement of this work, this proves the only one that has not failed more frequently than it has succeeded.

The multiplication of insects seems more rapid, if possible, than that of gardens and orchards in this country. Everywhere the culture of fruit appears, at first sight, the easiest possible matter, and really would be, were it not for some insect pest that stands ready to devour and destroy. In countries where the labor of women and children is applied, at the rate of a few cents a day, to the extermination of insects, it is comparatively easy to keep the latter under control. But nobody can afford to catch the curculios and other beetles at the price of a dollar a day for labor. The entomologists ought, therefore, to explain to us some natural laws which have been violated to bring upon us such an insect scourge - or at least point out to us some cheap way of calling in nature to our aid, in getting rid of the vagrants. For our own part, we fully believe that it is to the gradual decrease of small birds - partly from the destruction of our forests, but mainly from the absence of laws against that vagabond race of unfledged sportsmen who shoot sparrows when they ought to be planting corn, that this inordinate in?rease of insects is to be attributed.

Nature intended the small birds to be maintained by the destruction of insects, and if the former are wantonly destroyed, our crops, both of the field and gardens, must pay the penalty. If the boys must indulge their spirit of liberty by shooting something innocent, it would be better for us husbandmen and gardeners to subscribe and get some French masters of the arts of domestic sports, to teach them how to bring their light artillery to bear upon Bullfrog. It would be a gain to the whole agricultural community - of more national importance than the preservation of the larger birds by the game laws.

We may be expected to say a word or two here respecting the result of the last five years on pomology in the United States. The facts are so well known that it seems hardly necessary. There has never been a period on either side of the Atlantic, when so much attention has been paid to fruit and fruit culture. The rapid increase of nurseries, the enormous sales of fruit trees, the publication and dissemination of work after work upon fruits and fruit culture, abundantly prove this assertion. The pomolo-gical congress which held its third session last year in Cincinnati, and which meets again this autumn in Philadelphia, has done much, and will do more towards generalising our pomological knowledge for the country generally. During the last ten years almost every fine fruit known in Europe has been introduced, and most of them have been proved in this country. The result, on the whole, has been below the expectation; a few very fine sorts admirably adapted to the country; a great number of indifferent quality; many absolutely worthless. This, naturally, makes pomologies and fruit growers less anxious about the novelties of the nurseries abroad - and more desirous of originating first rate varieties at home.

The best lesson learned from the discussions in the Pomological Congress - where the experience of the most practical fruit growers of the country is brought out - is, that for every state, or every distinct district of country, there must be found or produced its improved indigenous varieties of fruit - varieties born on the soil, inured to the climate, and therefore best adapted to that given locality. So that after gathering a few kernels of wheat out of bushels of chaff, American horticulturists feel, at the present moment, as if the best promise of future excellence, either in fruits or practical skill, lay in applying all our knowledge and power to the study of our own soil and climate, and in helping nature to perform the problem of successful cultivation, by hints drawn from the facts immediately around us.