Success and Failure. 117 



iible, and we have been forced to look toward the best native seedlings; with 

 the advent of the Miner or Hinkley, and its success at Galena, Illinois, its 

 dissemination was rapid: in but few locations is it anything but a horticul- 

 tural nuisance. 



Wild Goose, from my experience and observation, bears about one plum 

 in ten years, while the wonderful "Bassett's American " is a humbug of the 

 rirst water; Weaver is subject to the black knot and has been discarded; De 

 Soto is the best we have found. Other new varieties are blowing their horns, 

 and the horn part may be a success. Plum culture for profit is a failure. 



CHERRIES. 



About every third year we raise nearly enough for the " dear little birds." 

 The three varieties they like best are Early Richmond, Ked English and 

 Late English Morello. These give a succession to other fruits, and no doubt 

 save the life of many a songster. Therefore cherries are both a "success and 

 failure." 



GRAPES. 



A few varieties, on good locations, with proper care and favorable seasons, 

 and no other hindrances, are a success. Of varieties there is no end. For 

 general planting Concord leads the host, only because Worden and Moon's 

 Early are comparatively high-priced and not within the reach of all who 

 plant large quantities. I know of but one man who prefers Concord to 

 Worden. My observation leads me to the conclusion that no variety of good 

 quality will succeed in the Northwest that has not the leaf and health-endur- 

 ing habits of the Concord. I don't think that even $2.00 or $5.00 per vine 

 will insure adaptation and productiveness ; the high price has never helped 

 the kind one bit. The causes of failure would fill a volume, while the in- 

 stances of success, outside the Concord type, could be written on your thumb 

 nail. 



Small fruits are a success under good common- sense cultivation and a 

 principle of let alone new varieties. If one hundredth part of all the lies 

 told in the last ten years had been true we should all have retired from 

 business ere this, with a life-long competence. 



What have we since the advent of the Wilson among strawberries that is 

 likely to take its place ? The cry is lo! here audio! there. Everything is 

 low but the price of the new comer, who is tried and found wanting; per- 

 haps in his native neighborhood he may have performed wonderful antics. 



The Wilson, in our own State, has produced over four hundred bushels 

 per acre, actual measurement, and in small gardens at the rate of eight hun- 

 dred bushels per acre, and I know of but very few instances where any other 

 variety has exceeded this amount, even on a square rod. I might enumer- 

 ate kinds. You know of the failures, and if any of you can report success, 

 and put your finger right on the figures that were made at the time, and no 

 guess work, that is what we Avant to know; we don't want to grind anybody's 

 ax or dull anybody's hatchet. 



