MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 389 



Wild beasts their maws with their slain brethren All, 



And yet, not all, for some refuse to kill; 



Sheep, goats and oxen, and the nobler steed, 



On browz, and corn, the flowery meadows feed. 



Bears, tigers, wolves, the lion's angry brood. 



Whom heaven endued with principles of blood, 



He wisely sunder'd from the rest, to yell 



In forests, and In lonely caves to dwell, 



Where stronger beasts oppress the weak by night 



And all In prey, and purple feasts delight. 



********* 



"Xot so the golden age, who fed on fruit. 



Nor durst with bloody meals their mouths pollute. 



Then birds In airy space might safely move. 



And timorous hares on heaths securely rove; 



Nor needed llsh the guileful hooks to fear. 



For all was peaceful, and peace sincere. 



Whoever was the wretch (and curs'd be he) . 



That envied first our food's simplicity; 



Th' essay of bloody feasts on brutes began. 



And after forged the sword to murder man. ' ' 



—Fruit Trade Journal. 



IMPROVEMENT IN SMALL FRUITS NEEDED. 



Each year turns out some new things of importance, but there is 

 a tendency to work on a few lines. Just now the strawberry among 

 small fruits is getting too large a share of attention. Unless there is 

 B> very marked freak — or cross with other fruit — there is little more 

 room for improvement in this direction. We have a half dozen straw- 

 berries that are all we need for size, quality and prolific bearing. It 

 may be possible to increase the strength of foliage and roots. 



We are still looking for an ideal blackberry. The Kittatinny would 

 pretty near fill the bill if it were hardy. Minnewaski and both Wilson 

 and Erie are not able to stand hard winters. Agawam is too soft, but 

 delicious. Snyder is too small. Aacient Briton not big enough. 

 Wachusett much like Snyder. We need a berry as large as Kittatinny 

 or the Lucretia dewberry, with canes growing erect like Snyder, in- 

 stead of sprawling like Agawam and Wilson. 



Have we yet reached the ideal currant? I do not believe we 

 have. White Grape, when grown on rich, strong ground, is by odds 

 the best currant in existance. I see but little difference between Ver- 

 saillaise and Fay. But none of them is as large as we may reasonably 

 hope for. The ideal currant should stand six to ten feet high and be 

 nearly twice the size of our best. In quality, can we ask for better 

 than White Grape ? It is in this respect ahead of everything I have 

 seen. Why not work for improved blackberries and currants ? 



Among the raspberries Cuthbert and Golden Queen and Shaffer, 

 or probably Columbian, make our best trio — and Kansas is as good a 



