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thick, and finish by putting a hand-glass over all, first painting or whitewashing the glass to cast off the sun's rays; keep the glass close, excepting on days of strong sunshine, when the glass ought to be raised a little at one side up to the moment the plants make their appearance, giving a sprinkling of water when the surface shows signs of getting dry: thus continue to keep the soil damp; but stagnant water must be avoided.

The plants, in the first stages of formation, will be recognized in the minute cups that make their appearance on the beds, and which will soon start up fronds. As soon as they can be handled, remove the board off the stage, and place another in its stead; which cover as recommended for the others, only making the bed of earth double the thickness. Take the plants out singly with a pointed stick, and prick into narrow rows on the new bed; give a slight watering out of a fine rose, and return the glass as before; keep shaded for a few days, until the plants have begun rootaction, when air can be admitted by degrees. In a few weeks the plants will be fit for pots, when all danger is past.

A. Kerr, in "Scottish Gardener."

NEW PLANTS.

Tacsonia Van Volxemii. - This is undoubtedly one of the finest conservatory climbers ever introduced, second only to the justly and universally admired Lapageria rosea. The healthiness, vigor, and rapidity of its growth combine to make it highly desirable for producing immediate effect in conservatory decoration. The flowers, which are of a rich, rosy crimsoncolor (fully five inches in diameter), are freely produced from the axil of each leaf, and are gracefully suspended on long, slender foot-stalks a foot in length, so peculiarly slender and thread-like, that the flowers hang, as it were, clear and detached from the foliage, and have the appearance of brilliantly-colored parachutes suspended in the air.

The foliage is also remarkably good, and free from that coarseness which detracts much from other tacsonias.

"Our plant is growing in a mixture of rough peat, loam, and coarse sand, with abundance of drainage, and plenty of pieces of broken brick

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bats, crocks, sandstone, and old lime rubble, mixed in with the soil. As a proof of its comparative hardiness, a plant of it grew in England luxuriantly on an eastern wall, out of doors, during the summer and autumn of 1865."

This charming creeper is a native of New Grenada, where it is cultivated in gardens under the name of COUROUBA. It found its way into Europe a few years since through M. Van Volxem, a Belgian traveller, after whom it has been named. - Florist.

Clematis rubella and Lanuginosa candida. The former was raised by Messrs. Jackman of Woking, to whom we also owe those fine varieties, Jackmanni and rubro-violacea, figured in a former volume, and which were the forerunners of a new race of clematises. Rubella, one of the finest of these, has been several times exhibited, and has received first-class certificates both from the Royal Horticultural and Botanic Societies. Its flowers are of a rich, velvety, reddish-violet, and are stated to be more constant in having five or six petals than any of the other varieties. Lanuginosa candida is white, slightly tinged with purple towards the edges of the petals, and will prove useful for mixing with the richer-colored varieties. It is believed to be of Continental origin. The mode of cultivation pursued by Messrs. Jackman in the case of these and other varieties is thus stated by Mr. George Jackman, jun.: "When we put our specimen clematises out, we plant them permanently out of pots in the open ground. In pots they will flower freely, but will not produce flowers in equal number or of so fine a quality, because the clematis, having a fleshy root, cannot take up sufficient moisture to develop its flowers so finely as in the open ground. The soil they luxuriate mostly in is one composed of rich manured loam, and, when possible, fine calcareous sand. They should be pruned back in the spring, about February, leaving a quantity of good breaking-buds: but there is this difference, some kinds will only flower on the old, wellripened wood of last year's growth; therefore discretion must be used. C. Standishii, Fortunei, and all the varieties of azurea grandiflora, are of this character; while others, such as the hybrid seedlings of which C. Jackmanni is the type, rubro-violacea, rubella, Prince of Wales, and all the viticellas, -will grow and flower quite as well and as vigorously on the spring's growth as the other varieties do on the older wood. After pruning, the

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surface should be stirred up, and some good rotten manure forked in round the roots. By giving attention to these simple rules, any person may have exuberant growth, large flowers, and brilliant colors."-Floral Magazine.

ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

CHAMPAIGN, ILL., Dec. 14, 1866.

THIS Society held its eleventh annual meeting, commencing the 11th instant, and closing to-day.

The attendance was unusually large; all parts of the State being represented. The day preceding the meeting, the weather turned cold with that suddenness characteristic of the West, sending the mercury to zero: hence the show of fruit was small; the largest collection coming from the south part of the State, and numbering fifty varieties.

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Of new fruits, or those not generally cultivated, were the Stanard, paratively new apple of great promise, nearly as large and showy as the King of Tompkins County. Tree hardy, and remarkably productive of nearly first-rate quality. A large basket of the fruit was presented to the meeting, the members of which became a tasting committee of the whole.

Ben Davis and Rome Beauty also attracted a large share of attention. Among the older apples of high merit were Winesop and Brandywine, or better known as Minkler. These four are rapidly becoming great favorites in this State. A basket each of the two latter took the same direction as the Stanard. Your Eastern readers will observe that the prairie orchards have a list of their own, which it might be well for them to make trial of.

The Stanard is said to be a seedling from Erie County, N.Y. It has been drawn in colors by Dewey of Rochester, from a Western specimen.

The Ben Davis is supposed to be a seedling of Kentucky or Tennessee; the Rome Beauty, of Ohio; and the Minkler, of Ohio or Pennsylvania. The Winesop is an old fruit, that is very popular at the West.

No change was made in the apple list; but the attention of the society was called to the great value of these four varieties.

PEARS. The pear list was not disturbed. Cultivators are falling into the practice of our Eastern pear-cultivators, by planting close, providing abundant shelter, and shading from the direct rays of the sun. The pear-blight is the great drawback in the culture of this fruit. Sulphur, iron, and scoria have been tried with unsatisfactory results.

PEACHES. But little time was spent over this fruit. Its three enemies — curculio, peach-grub, and frost - were disposed of; the first by the use of Dr. Hall's inverted umbrella with daily jarrings, the second by the use of the knife, the third by annual planting and shelter-belts in all that part of the State south of lat. 41°.

PLUMS have been so nearly abandoned, that nothing was said in regard to them.

CHERRIES. - This fruit was freely discussed, and the list corrected. The fruit known as Early May, May Cherry, and Early Richmond, was decided to be an American seedling, originating near Richmond, Va., and there known as the Early May, and its name fixed accordingly. This is the great market-cherry of the prairie country. Near this city is one orchard, of six hundred trees, that commenced shipping fruit to Chicago the past summer. Another orchard, of the same number, began to bear this season. Besides these, the trees are ready to set one orchard of two thousand trees, and four others of one thousand each. This shows the great popularity of this fruit. Added to this are several lots of fifty to one hundred trees. Many suppose that this is only a cooking cherry; but, though not the most delicious, it is a very good eating cherry, as is attested by the fruit-stands of Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Chicago, where large amounts are consumed daily.

The large English Morello, which is fully a month later, is the only other cherry put on the list for market. At the request of a few, the May Duke and Black Tartarian were added for family use.

Along the Mississippi, for a long distance, is a narrow strip of bluff-land known by geologists as Loess, on which nearly all the sweet cherries appear to do very well, but where the fruit is nearly all destroyed by the birds.

It was also decided that the Morello suckers, or seedlings, were much the best, if not the only stock suitable on which to graft the two market-cherries named.

For the past five or six years, the cherry question has been tending to this result; and it may be considered settled for some time to come in this State. While the mazzard and mahaleb may be suitable stocks in many sections, it is certain, that, for the whole prairie region, they are of little value.

GRAPES.

The new grapes have, with few exceptions, failed to give satisfaction; and several grape-growers contended that the Clinton (for wine), Hartford Prolific, and Concord were the only ones of value to us. It is certain that Delaware, Adirondack, Iona, and others, have made almost a total failure. Frost and rot are the difficulties in the way. It is probable, that, as protection increases, grapes will do better. Along the Mississippi, vineyards are rapidly multiplying, mostly of Clinton, Catawba, and Concord.

OFFICERS ELECT.

President, Elmor Baldwin of Farm Ridge, Lasalle County; Secretary, W. C. Flagg, of Alton; Treasurer, I. Huggins, Woodburn; with a list of fourteen Vice-Presidents, one from each Congressional district.

The next meeting is to be held at South Pass about the 1st of October. The society resolved to make a show of fruit at the meeting of the American Pomological Society to be held at St. Louis, Mo., commencing Sept. 10. for members only. Any person

The transactions are to be published at once, can become a member on the payment of two dollars.

M. L. D.

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THIS Society was organized in September, 1847; and is the oldest State society of the kind in the Union. Its meetings were held annually till after the organization of the American Pomological Society; then changed to biennially, alternating with the meetings of that society: but, in 1863, the rule was again adopted of meeting annually. Since that time, the legislature has granted the society a small annual appropriation, sufficient to pay its expenses of printing reports, &c.; and its transactions are also published in the annual volume of Transactions of the State Board of Agriculture; so that the society is, in fact, doing the work of a State Horticultural Society. Besides its annual meetings, the society has a committee ad interim, consisting of the officers and four members, whose duty it is to hold meetings during the summer and fall, and examine and report on such fruits as cannot well come before the annual meeting. A. H. Ernst, Esq., of Cincinnati, was president of the society from its organization till his decease in 1860; since which time the place has been filled by Dr. J. A. Warder, of that city. M. B. Bateham, of Painesville, has long been its secretary and treasurer.

The fourteenth annual meeting of the society was held at Zanesville, Dec. 4 and 6, 1866. This Muskingum Valley is among the oldest settled portions of Ohio, and was long famous for the production of fine apples, of which great quantities were shipped down the Ohio and Mississippi to New Orleans and other Southern cities; but of late years this trade has greatly diminished. The display of apples at the meeting was fine, embracing not less than four hundred plates, and one hundred and fifty distinct varieties. Delegates were present from Pennsylvania, New York, and Indiana. Discussion was had on apples, pears, grapes, blackberries, and strawberries; also on blight in fruit-trees, mildew and rot in grapes, &c. The place selected for the next annual meeting is Sandusky. The following are the officers elected for 1867:—

President.

- Dr. J. A. WARDER, Cincinnati. Vice-President.-G. W. CAMPBELL, Delaware. Secretary and Treasurer. — M. B. BATEHAM, Painesville. Committee. William Heaver, Cincinnati; J. Austin Scott, Toledo; A.

B. Buttles, Columbus; N. L. Wood, Smithfield.

NEW HORTICULTURAL HALL.

THE new Horticultural Hall now being built in Philadelphia by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is the largest horticultural hall in this country, and among the largest of its public halls of any description. The entire building is seventy-five feet front by two hundred feet deep and sixty feet high, with a cutstone front composed of a pearl-gray stone with brown stone-dressings. The ceiling of the main hall is fifty feet high; and it comprises a stage, an auditorium, committee-rooms, a "Foyer," and a balcony. The ground-floor comprises two large rooms, lumber-rooms, and a large banqueting-hall. A narrow gallery will

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