THE FARM AND GARDEN. 



rtl5r;HJiror»iLlMr>C:nffAT,T, RrarrTmc:' ""*y than to cut down or grub up all the worth- and also must not be so closely planted as 

 \JI.\^3tii\i-^U ftl^LU OMftULI r ii^Ul'i'O less kinds, and plant no more. This, we think, keep Out the warm suns. The pear is such 

 Qmdiicfed by Eli .lliiirli. Shiloh, N. J. 



DOWNING'S EVER-BEARING MULBERRY. 



We give a cut oia much-neglected fruit. Dowu- 

 ing's Ever-bearing ilulberry, which originated 

 from the seed of the ilulticauls, at Newburg, 

 ^I. Y. Mr. Downing says of this mulberry : "The 

 tree is very vigorous and very productive, and is 



wftrthless as a keeper. All fruits vary with soil 



and climate, and become valuable or worthless 



as atlected by surrounding conditions. Thus it 



surpassed by none except the Black English, and | often happens that some varieties do well certain 



*i-„ ,...1 ,. ^.__ _ ,. seasons and fail, and again become fruitful. 



These changes are often sudden and itnaccounta- 

 ble. How then, are we to tell what will be the 

 valuable or worthless kind? Some varieties of 

 fruit are often worthless from their habit of over- 

 bearing: the fruit in such cases is so small as to 

 be worthless. Others are very light bearers, 

 and the fruit, from that cfaise, is so 

 \ tine as to bring such extra 



prices jis to make the 

 variety very 

 profitable. 



to 

 pear is such an 

 would get at the root of the evil. But the Ques- enormous bearer that it cannot ripen in good 

 tion, "What are the worthless kinds? " is a more j condition all its fruit, and thinning it must be 

 serious one to answer. While the Baldwin is practiced. By so doing, the flavor'and quality of 

 valuable for the Xew England Slates, Northern the pear is greatly improved. The way the pears 

 Michigan, and New York, yet farther south it is i are grown and ripened will account for the great 

 otily a fair late summer or early fall apj^le, and | diversity of opinion regarding it. We believe 



possesses the same ric.i, subacid flavor. It t'oiv 

 tinues a long time in bearing. Fruit oylindricnl. 

 an inch and a quarter long, and nearly half an 

 inch in diameter, f'olor a maroon or an Intense 

 blue-black at full inatiirlly. Flesh .juicy, rich, 

 and sugary, witli a slightly vinous flavor. It 

 continues in bearing a very long time." The 

 Downing is called ev<'r-bearing because I he 

 berries begin to riiien in July, soon after cher- 

 ries, and bears very freely and ripens con- 

 tinuously for a long time. The berries are 

 usually not picked, lint allowed to fall on 

 clean grass as tliey ripen, atid are usccl for 

 the table or culinary luirposcs. The - 

 Downing has the advantage of the Black 

 English, it bei.ng hardy in a cold winter, 

 and being also a better gj'ower, and not 

 liable to canker, which are some of the 

 drawbacks of the Biack English. It 

 is not as hardy ;is we wish, and can 

 not be safely planted in iH sections. 



cutting back the rampant growth of the Kiefler, 

 as is done in the peach, will largely increase the 

 size and improve the quality. We hope our 

 friends will try our recommendation on a few 

 trees and write us the' result. 



FRUIT NOTES. 



We have received of Mr. Jihn G. 

 Burrow, of Flshkill, N. Y.. a Down _ 

 Ing grape for trial. The vine is grow- 

 ing finely and appears to be a strong 

 grower. The grape is described as be 

 ing a most cxielleiit and desirable 

 large one. Its k<'epliig i|ualitles are 

 said to be remarkable, being ca-'*ily kept 

 until after the holidays. We shall make 

 a careful note of Ibis new and proinisii>c' 

 variety. We are also testing two varictii - 

 of grapes from Mr. P. .1. Berckmans, 

 ■Vugusta, Ga. ; the Peter Wylle and tlic 

 Berckmans. One a fine white grape, the 

 other an excellent red one. Both are h.v- 

 brids. We also have from .Mr. Berckmans, 

 for trial, .several varielies of apples, peaches 

 and plums. We shall let our readers ki 

 about them. 



B S. Hoxie, in W'-xti-rn niiriil, writes 

 tliat in answer to a cliciilar letter , ^ 



of his to the nn'inbcrs of the ^^-^^^3^. 

 Wisconsin State Society and >1 ~ 

 others in the North-west in- J^^'_ -. - V 

 teresled in fruit-growing,' he '^^^"- " ' 

 received very general response, '^^ 

 and finds the following lisi of ^ , _ 

 eight varieties best adapted to 

 Wisconsin, on account of hardi- _. 

 ness, proiluctiveness. and A 

 quality of hVnit. viz.: Ducii- ^ 

 ess. Wealthy, F;inieuse, Pe- ■; -^ 

 waukee. Plumb's Cider, 

 Walbridge, Tallman, Sweet 

 and Wolf River, oftjieabove 

 list, the Duchess and Wialthy 

 are spokeif of as being h-nn \. 

 clad. This list is vei'y similar , 

 to the one we gave siinulime '^ 

 ago. In southern and smitli- 

 western Wisconsin tlu- reports 

 are favorable to the Koni an stem. Golden 

 Russet, Fall Orainie, Willow Twig, and Red 

 Astrachan. We advise nm' Wisconsin friends 

 to pay attention to the above list, where hardy 

 apples are so desirable. 



"1 



Under the title of " Danger wide-spread," the 

 Sural New Yorker says : ".From wlnit we saw on 

 a recent visit to the coiintr.v, and from numei'ous 

 letters received, we are surprised and greatly 

 alarmed at the wide-s|iread distribniion of tlie 

 canker worm. Not only are the pests prevalent 

 In New England and in most of New S'ork, but 

 they have spread into a majority of the states 

 ami Canada as well. Thousands of orchards are 

 scian-ged and bhu'kined as tlnrngh visited by fire, 

 and in others ten thousamls of trees are more or 

 less bare of fol iage, as i n winter." We are not sur- 

 prised, neither are our readers W'ho reaii our 

 " Orchard Insects, No. ."," in our number of 



.\t a recent meeting of the Western New York 

 Horticultural Society, the merits of the Kietfer 

 pear were discussed. Mr. Willard spoke highly 

 of the Kiefl'er as a fine-looking pear, selling well 

 in the market, and of better (luality than the 

 Clargeau. Mr. Green said he Sliould be scirry to 

 have the society recommend the pear. Mr. W. 

 .\ugust, 1S81, where we "aid the canker worms ; Brown Smith, of Syracuse, said he ate some last 

 were gaining headwav rapidlv: and again last ' fall, and was surprised to find them so good, and 

 Mbv wesaidoftheeank.'rworm tluit "ifnolate 1 agreed that they were better than tlie Clargeau. 



1 Mr. Moody found them quite good. Mr. Kllwanger 

 had it in his office and uo tnie would eat it. Mr. 

 Coleman w-ould as soon have a well-ripened 



question 

 " What ; 

 the worthless 

 Kinds?" still re- 

 mains unanswered. 



frosts occur, they will be a scourge to the apple 

 orchards." We always give our retidcrs earlier 

 information of insect pests, and how to reduce 

 them. 



Hon. T. T. Lyon, of .■South Haven, Mich., read 

 a paper at a recent nn'cting of the Mississippi 

 Valley Horticultural > 

 rid of worthless fruits.' 



Kiefler as a Bartlett. Mr. Hammond liked it 

 eaten in December. Mr. ^V. C. Barry called it an 

 inferifir ite:n'. — JIV.s7er/( Rural. 



These opinions aptjear, coming as tl^cy do from 



well-known, practical fruit-growers, to be very 



iciety, on "How to get | confiicting. As we have said, the Kietfer pear, to 



We know of no better | be of good quality, requires thinning severely, 



We see the Sucker State strawberry is very 

 highly recommended by the Faimer and Fruit 

 Grower, of Anna, III. This berry appears to bear 

 a cold, unseasonable spring better than any other 

 variety in southern Illinois, and is giving the 

 best returns of any for that section. The cold 

 spring was disastrous to the tender varieties. 



We advise the early picking and marketing of 

 peafs. Early picking allows the growth and ri- 

 pening of the wood and making buds for blos- 

 soms the coming year. The fruit is not 

 only better in quality for being picked 

 early and house-ripened, but the tree 

 will give a better crop and finer fruit 

 ij^ the following year. The prices for 

 early shipments are also better. 



The Salome apple seems to be 

 growing in favor in Illinois, be- 

 ing ^ery hardy, productive, and 

 a long keeper. 'The apple is of 

 very good quality, size only me- 

 dium, color from n light to a dark 

 red or nearly so. Bears well annu- 

 ally, but more heavily alternate 

 years. Keeps well until May or 

 even June. The Western Rural 

 s;iys in the issue of June 1.3th, that 

 sajnples received at that office 

 lYoin Mr, A. Bryant, were then as 

 sound as bullets, and gave evi- 

 dence ol being good keepers. 



The rose bugs, with lis, have 



very mateuially injured the fruit 



prospects, of some varieties they 



have consumed all the young 



fruit, while other varieties have 



suffered more severely in foliage. We 



pe next year to be able to spray our 



fs with arsenic, and materially reduce 



nemy. (irapes and cherry trees suH'er 



also from their attacks, and the foliage of 



me varieties of apples, such as Hyde's Keeper, 



:ire almost stripped by them. We find them 



partial to the Ibliage of only a few varieties 



of apples. 



"u. August is a good month to pinch back 

 blacklH-rries and raspberries that grow 

 too freely. If kept in check the canes 

 will grow stalk.v and well-branched, will 

 ripen up tlieir wood very thoroughly, 

 and be In tine condition to withstand 

 the winter. Do not pinch back over- 

 grown canes too freely late in the season, 

 for a new and tender growth will f(y;m 

 which will be sure to winter-kill. Wnen 

 blackherries and rasplierries are cut back 

 as we advised last month, very little if any 

 staking will be required, and a crop of 

 tine, large berries will be assured next 

 \-ear. There is no use in allowing a long 

 cane t<» lorni, the end of which will be 

 winter-killed, and when in bearing will fall 

 ~ on the grouml for a want of support, and 

 produce only a few small, sandy berries. 



It was recommended to the members of the 

 N'ew Jerse.v State Horticultitral .Society to try 

 carbolic acid for the grape rot. The propcf pro- 

 portions recommended were one ounce of car- 

 bolic acid (crude), -to be dissoU^d in five gallons 

 of waltir, and as s<jon as the rot appears spray 

 the vines with it. The grape rot is due to a fun- 

 gus tliat rapidly spreads when conditions are 

 fa\<irable, and rots the grape. It is claimed that 

 carbolic acid is fatal to fungoid growths, and will 

 destroy them. Those of our readers who can we 

 hope will try this easy experiment and report to 

 us whether the use of carbolic aciil is of any bene- 

 fit in the grape rot. We do not believe it will be 

 of an.v practical use in the vineyard. The exper- 

 iinent is so easily tried, we hope to see it made 

 and reported. 



The Gardener's Monthlii, in a recent number, 

 says that the yellows of rlie peach occur in pot- 

 ash soils as well as in soils poor in potash : also 

 that the yellows always appear to aft'ect peach 

 trees that grow in wood-pile dirt. We beg leave 

 to differ. The finest, largest, and longest-lived 

 peach trees are always found in soils richest in 

 potash. In such soils the yellows will usually be 



