One of the most vigorous. Forms a handsome head.

Sterling

Growing moderately.

Beurre Langlier

Very thrifty indeed.

Among the varieties which have been thoroughly tested, and may always be relied upon for thrifty and productive trees, are Brandywine, Belle Lucrative, Beurre d'Amalis, Buffum, Beurre Langlier, Beurre Diel, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Doyenne* Sieulle, Easter Beurre, Glout Morceau, Louise Bonne de Jersey, Nouveau Poiteau, Pound, Urbaniste, Vicar of Winkfield, and White Doyenne where it does not crack.

The following varieties are pretty generally known to be successful on the quince, but perhaps it will do no harm to mention them again. Some of them will occasionally flourish finely, but they can not be relied upon for permanent trees. Beurre' Bosc, Beurre' Rance, Dix, Flemish Beauty, Gansel's Bergamot, Marie Louise, Paradise d'Automne, Sheldon, Winter Nelis. C.M. Hooker.

Ma. Editor: - Will you give a novice some information how to construct something small and cheap on the south side of a dwelling, to be heated by some hot water apparatus, in which he can propagate grape-vines, etc, etc.,in pots?

I should be greatly your debtor if you could spare the space to give me directions so plain that I (who live away back in the country, and never saw anything of the kind) could go to work and make one.

If this is asking too much, can you tell me where I can get the requisite knowledge?

Manlius, Ontario Co.,N.Y. Yours truly, A Subscriber.

[We find a great many in want of just such information as "A Subscriber " asks for. He will find in the February number, and also in the present one, something to the purpose; and in our next we hope he will find some plans just suited to his particular case. - Ed].

Ed. Horticulturist: - The past winter has been extremely variable in this locality; the greatest degree of cold indicated by the thermometer was two degrees below zero; notwithstanding vegetation has suffered very much. I am cultivating the New Rochelle, Dorchester, and our local variety of the blackberry, and find them all three entirely killed down to the ground. Such a thing has never occurred with me since cultivating them before. In future I will adopt the same system with them that I have pursued with the tenderer raspberries, such as Brinckle's Orange, Fastolf, &c; that is, lay them down and cover with soil. Young grape-vines of the Delaware and Rebecca (two years planted) are injured a little in their extremities only; the same may be said of Cassady. Kilvington, Brincklc, Raabe, Lenoir, Bland, and some other sorts I find killed and dry down to earth line.

Mary Ann, To Kalon, Canby's August, York Madeira, Garrigues, Concord, Hartford Prolific, Ohio, Diana, etc, are entirely uninjured, with their buds green and fresh to their extremities.

Red Lion. Dd. Yours truly, John Diehl.

[Information like the above possesses a peculiar interest in reference to the hardiness of particular kinds of fruits in different localities, and we should be glad to have more of it. We can by and by make up an interesting chapter of comments from it - Ed].

Ed. Horticulturist:-While writing I may as well add a few words that I have wanted for long to send you in regard to shipping perishable fruits to a distance. A year or more ago, the Horticulturist contained a wood cut of a " fruit protector,' a patented article, designed to guard soft fruits against the jarring of railroad transportation. The chest containing the fruit was suspended by India-rubber straps. Last summer I used a much simpler and more effectual contrivance for the transportation of strawberries from this place to Chicago, 474 miles by railroad. The result was entirely satisfactory, the fruit arriving in perfect condition; time thirty hours. The fruit was picked very carefully into pint tin cups, the depth of which was equal to the diameter. These cups were placed, not on the bottom of the chest, but on a false bottom, which played freely in the chest, and rested on four or six spiral wire springs, such as are used for making spring mattresses, and costing a dollar per dozen. The number of springs was varied according to the weight of fruit packed in.

The chests were made of such dimensions as to receive just so many cups each way, so as to allow barely a free play, with no extra room for jostling: on the top of the first tier of cups, narrow and thin strips of wood were laid, and another tier piled thereon, so in succession for four or 6ve tiers. On top of the whole rests a vessel or box for holding ice, four inches deep, and of the same length and width as the false bottom. This is made of wood, except the bottom, which is of common stove-pipe iron, nailed to the wood and secured against leaking by white lead. In the top is a hole for introducing the ice, with a close-fitting cover. This box, with its charge of ice, rests on the topmost tier of cups, and rides with them on the springs. A lid, with hasp and padlock, shuts down over the whole. To prevent rude handling, stout trunk handles are placed on the ends of the chest A better arrangement than this could not be desired. The whole load danced to every touch, and the fruit was relieved from all jolting. No air-holes were found necessary; but appeared rather to be injurious on trial. If the cups would bear covering with a tin cap, like a mustard box, or a blacking box, it would better guard against any accidental overturning of the chest.

Mr. Peabody says the fruit will speedily spoil, if thus confined. With ice I do not believe it will; but this remains to be tried. The liability to loss by careless handling, tilting, and upsetting the chests was the only difficulty experienced.

Jackson. Tenn. Yours truly, CHARLEs 8. Dod.

[We should think the above arrangement would insure the safe carriage of fruits for a long distance, and commend it to the attention of our readers. But are tin cups the best that can be used? - Ed].

Mr. Editor: - Having seen a communication in your valuable journal for March, from Mr. Bizzell, respecting a new mode of pruning the Grape-vine, I beg leave to state that I have pursued the same system with success on Grape-vines under glass, with the exception of leaving but two clusters on a shoot. I also practise a modification of it by sometimes cutting back the shoots, to four eyes, when they have failed to produce fruit in the first instance, and I seldom fail to get one bunch from some of them, in which case I rub off the remainder.

The Vines are grown on the double-spur system, by which means the wood for bearing during the ensuing season is carefully laid in, and pinched at the proper time.

It will thus be seen that there is no danger of injuring the vine; in fact, it has a tendency to strengthen next year's bearing wood. It can also be practised on the long rod system, when unproductive, as the buds are generally double, when both may be allowed to grow, and, if neither show fruit, one can be operated on as above. I have never observed the vines to bleed to any excess from this pruning, nor is there any such danger after the leaves are fully developed, which is the proper time to cut back the shoots. It may naturally be inferred that the fruit produced by cutting back must ripen considerably later than that first set; but with some kinds, such as Muscat Alexandria, when in a cold house, this will be found an advantage, as at that period the weather will be warm, and, in consequence, the fruit better set. The bunches will not be as large as those first set, but there will be no difference in the size of the berries. Yours, respectfully, John Egan.

New Brighton, S.I., April, 1860.

[We are glad to learn that this system of pruning has already been applied to grapes under glass, the only place, we suspect, where it can be of any use to us at the North. It would seem, from Mr. Egan's statement, that the process is not especially injurious to the vine; and as it helps to prolong the grape season, it will doubtless prove to be of advantage, when applied to the Grapery. - Ed].