254 



STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



the fruit, except under high cultivation. The texture of the fruit is quite too delicate 

 to warrant its use for market purposes. 



Brandywine is an old variety of unknown origin, which possesses valuable qualities 

 for the market in both the east and the west. It has the unusual peculiarity that it 

 can be left upon the plant, when fully ripe, for a considerable time without suffering 

 essential injury. 



VARIETIES OF 0CCIDENTALI8 A.ND SUPPOSED 



ABEEVIATION8. 



Class. 



o. occidentalia. 

 h. supposed hybrid. 



Form, 

 c. conical, 

 i. irregular, 

 o. oblate. 

 r. round. 



Color, 

 b. black, 

 d. dark. 

 g. glossy. 

 o. orange. 



The following, which embrace the more valuable of the tabulated varie- 

 ties, are mentioned, as nearly as practicable, in the order of their ripening: 



Souhegan and Tyler, although doubtless of separate origin, are practically identical, 

 so far as the characteristics of both plant and fruit are concerned. They are more 

 especially valuable as the first of their class to ripen, although, in fact, but two or 

 three days in advance of the older Doolittle. 



Beebe (Beebe's Golden) is really golden only when taken just at the right stage; 

 when only a few hours past this, the color changes to a forbidding, dirty looking 

 brown, which is a serious drawback upon its value even for the family garden. 



Doolittle was the first variety of its class to attract public attention; and even yet the 

 improvement upon it consists more in variation of the season of ripening than in any 

 important improvement of other qualities. 



Ohio is especially commended as being superior for evaporation purposes. Its super- 

 iority in this respect is believed to consist mainly, if not wholly, in the fact that the 

 seeds are large, and for that reason constitute an unusual proportion of the desiccated 

 residuum. 



Earhart is a very vigorous variety, which produces a moderate crop of fruit upon the 

 last year's canes at the usual season, and a second crop in September upon many of the 

 new canes of the current year. This second crop is quite liable to be ruined by frost 



