With a goodly number of Peare in bearing, this fruit is too scarce yet with me during the bimonths of October, November, and December. I have kept a few St. Germains and Winter Bonchretiens till Christmas, and the Elize d'Hyest did not rot until after that, this year; yet if it is not every year that I can succeed. In July and August Pears- are plentiful, but so are Peaches; and, unfortunately, after these months both become quite too scarce. I have been procuring the reputed latest ripening varieties of Pears in hopes of closing this gap in the fruit season, but with what success I cannot yet tell, as comparatively few have borne. I fear that with Pears as with Apples, we will have to raise our own late-keeping varieties.

The past summer proved one of the least fruitful seasons for Pears with me that I can remember in several years, and yet the Bartlett trees bore the largest crops that I have ever had. The Rousselet de Rheims and Grey Doyenne* also bore well, but not to be compared with the Barrett.

From before Christmas until yesterday noon we have had a long, steady, and brilliant spell of most unusually cold weather. My Orange-trees seem not much injured, and I am in hopes that the rain of this afternoon will materially restore them, so that they may bear fruit. My crop of Oranges being too small for my wants, I was induced to buy a few hundreds from a neighbor, which have rotted very badly indeed, while I believe not one of mine has; mine were carefully cut from the trees, and carefully handled afterwards; the others were, I suppose, pulled and thrown about.

I look forward to a large crop of Pears the coming summer, as well as Peaches. If I am not disappointed, bow would you like to try a few Pears grown by me? Are there any particular varieties that you would like to taste for comparing with the same grown with you or in the famed modern Athens, where also I suppose you have fruit-growing friends?

With the best wishes for the success of the Horticulturist, I am yours respectfully, robt. Chisolm.

[The Adams and Henry the Fourth ande entirely distinct. The former is a large Pear, and a native of Massachusetts; the latter is small, and an imported variety. The Oswego Beurre and Grey Doyenne* are also distinct. We should be very glad of an opportunity of comparing some of your fruit with our own. We shall do our best to be just to the fruit and impartial to you.

Send the Adams, Oswego Beurre Grey Doyenne Rousselet de Rheims, and any others you think best. In the mean time we should be glad to hear from you again. - Ed].

Bruington, King and Queen Co., Va., 11th Feb., 1860.

Editor Horticulturist: - I have been interested in reading an article in the Horticulturist for February, just received, about Persimmons, and propose to give, in a few words, an idea I bave for some time thought of suggesting to some of the nurserymen, namely, to try grafting Plums, and Peaches, and Apricots on the Persimmon. I have never heard of its being tried, and expect it would prove a most valuable experiment. I never heard of any insect troubling a Persimmon tree, except, perhaps, sometimes caterpillars in the foliage, and would hardly be afraid to warrant it against Peach-borers and the like. I would be glad to send a few persimmon seeds or young trees to any reliable nurseryman who would try the matter fairly, he paying the expense of transportation. Yours truly, J. R. G.

[In common with J. R. G., we have never heard of any attempts to graft the Plum, etc, on the Persimmon; and we have no reason to suppose that it would succeed.' It is only among allied genera that any good results can be looked for in the way of grafting. Ebenacece and Rosacea? are not sufficiently related to warrant us in expecting a union between them; we do not think they would live harmoniously in the " bonds of wedlock." If, however, any of our readers feel disposed to make the experiment, a good opportunity is here presented of trying what " ill-assorted marriages" can sometimes be made. - Ed].

Editor Horticulturist: - I infer from your last number that you intend to make the Horticulturist a little more practical than it has heretofore been. The movement in that direction is to be commended, even so far as to condescend to the occasional notice of culinary vegetables, the more refined of them at least, if not the more common, which are the most useful and valuable.

But the object of this note is to extend a piece of information to pomologists, of a practical character, and of practical value, which, in mercy and pity to all young orchards, ought to be known to every owner of a tree from Maine to Texas. I allude to the quite common practice of using coal tar to prevent rabbits and mice from girdling young trees, or ants and other insects from infesting them. To smear the trunk of a young tree with coal tar is a more certain method of killing the tree than chopping it off with an axe even with the surface of the ground; for in the former case they never sprout again, while in the latter they in many cases put out strong and healthy shoots.'

The following extracts are from a letter in the Scientific American of the 4th inst.: " Late in the fall of 1848 or 1849, I applied coal tar with a paint-brush to the trunks of 200 young apple-trees, and more than half of them died during the following summer; and those which lived did not recover from the effects of the tar in less than three years. The next year I tried it on some young maples, and they also died. Both the apples and maples swelled and cracked wherever the tar touched them." * * * " I am glad that you have opened this important subject, as erroneous views in regard to it have been propagated on the very highest authority; my first and costly experiment was made on the recommendation of no less a man than the late most highly esteemed A. J. Downing".

Now for my experience. In the spring of 1859, seeing three very handsome young pear-trees about eight years old, infested by thousands of red ants, although they did no harm, I determined, merely as an experiment, to see what effect coal tar would have upon their movements. I fortunately had a faint suspicion that the remedy might prove worse than the disease, and therefore determined to adopt, for once in my life, the homoeopathic system. Accordingly, 1 steeped a strip of cotton cloth, only half an inch wide, in coal tar, and wrapped it around the trunks of the trees near the ground. Half an inch more of tar would have killed them outright. As it was they are much injured. The bark was killed through to the wood; but as the poison was applied in the spring, the descending sap formed a band of callus which sent descending branches across the dead portion, which, forming a connection with the living part below, saved the life of the tree. But they are now made poor disabled pensioners, in the prime of life, of promise, and of hope, and may never render any good service again.