The Season In England

Mr. RiveRs, in a recent lettei, (August 2d,) writes, "The season has been, until the last ten days, the most wretched and miserable I ever knew - no fruit at all. The young nursery trees all over England are smothered with aphides. Thousands of young Peach and Apricot trees were killed by frost on the 25th of April, and those that escaped have not made any growth until recently. The young Cherry trees are all killed by the black aphis; young Plum trees much injured by the blue aphis; and the Peach trees with the brown. In fact we have had them of all colors - blue, black, white and gray; and if you are inclined to form a collection, I will send you a lot of each, duly labeled and well packed".

We are much obliged to our friend for his kind offer, but would decline in the most delicate manner possible, and assure him that our collection is already sufficiently complete.

Second Crop Or Blackberries

Mr. Thomas Smith, of Chappaquiddick, near Edgartown, Mass., recently exhibited in that town a quantity of dark red blackberries grown on his premises, being the second crop this season.

Second Edition

2 Portien Noir.

3 Tottenham Park Muscat.

1 Syrian.

1 Red Chasselas.

1 Black Prince.

5 Old St. Peters.

1 Black Frontignan.

Second Evening. Cracking Of The Pear

Some additional remarks were made on this subject by Dr. Ward, of New Jersey, adverse to the opinion that the cracking was caused by the removal of leaves by leaf-blight. On his grounds the Van Mons Leon le Clerc tree grew with great vigor, but the fruit cracked badly - the present season the cracks were nearly large enough to place one's finger within them, yet up to the present time the tree retains its foliage. His Virgalieu trees worked on quince, which last year had given promise of doing well, had cracked badly the present season - the soil in which they grow is regarded as one of the best for the pear, and these trees grow vigorously. T. 0. Max-wALl, of Geneva, had pears of the Virgalieu grown on quince considerably affected, while those growing on pear stocks were entirely free.

Sedum Californicum

This fleshy-leaved houseleek differs from the kind so often met with on the tops of low buildings and other places where it is grown for its supposed medicinal properties, as the Californian sedum is of more sturdy habit, and the leaves are all deeply tipped with purplish brown. The plant seems to thrive well in most situations, but likes a dry and sunny one, increases freely, and bears transplanting at any season. It forms an admirable edging to a small bed, and for places where a permanent edging is required it is extremely suitable. Occasionally it flowers, but not frequently, and when it does, the sturdy stem bearing a head or corymb of flowers is not without beauty. It is less disposed to flower than either of the two following species. In habit of growth it much resembles the common houseleek, the thickly-clustered heads pushing each other out of place, and by degrees rising into a sort of mound. As already stated, it is not particular as to soil, but likes the sun.