DOMESTIC NOTICES. 



193 



cultivated per catalogue for years, that Mr. Prince 

 could not on one day, gather three quarts of any 

 one variety to offer in competition, especially of the 

 "Crimson Cone,'' which, as appears per catalogue 

 of 1844, he has cultivated for more than three 

 years, is so plentiful as to have become a market 

 fruit ; and per his statement, so far superior to the 

 Seedling, tliat " the great venders in the New- 

 York market could not sell the latter until the stock 

 of the former was exhausted ;" and the inference 

 is irresistible, that he could not produce any variety 

 to compete with Hovey's Seedling in tiie three im- 

 portant essentials of flavor, size, and beauty; har- 

 dihood and productiveness, other necessary quali- 

 ties to constitute '' the best" strawberry, the judges 

 could not pass upon from the mere inspection of 

 the fruit, and which Hovey's Seedling are well 

 known to possess in an eminent degree. Mr. 

 Prixce admits the great size and beauty of the 

 Seedling, but states it to be " deficient in flavor ;" 

 that he possesses more than twenty varieties superi- 

 or to it in the latter quality ; and wishes it to be in- 

 ferred, that the quantity required of one variety (3 

 quarts) alone prevented him from entering into 

 competition for that premium. Aeain, I ask, 

 whether at each of the exhibitions referred to by 

 Mr. Prince, a specific premium was not offered 

 for the best single variety in a considerably less 

 quantity than three quarts — even a half pint? — and 

 w^hether he obtained such premium ? The man 

 who exhibits " so splendid a collection" (of straw- 

 berries) as " has never been seen in Europe or 

 America," should be able to put down all comj)eti- 

 tors by something more to the purpose than his 

 own panygeric Primate, Primordiaa, Charlotte, 

 Kberlein, ^c, (Mr. Prince's Seedlings.) should 

 ere this have gained many premiums, for their mer- 

 its are such, according to Mr. Prince's testimony, 

 as to defy all attempts at exceling them. In in- 

 quiring '• what will be said when those varieties 

 will be sent in quantities to our markets," Mr. P. 

 assumes what may never happen, as perhaps some 

 of them may not be sulficiently prolific to be profi- 

 table to the market gardener, and others too defi- 

 cient in flavor to be popular with consumers. It is 

 true Mr. Prince was awarded the premium for the 

 largest collection, seedlings in endless varictj' being 

 easily raised ; but which are mostly not worth pro- 

 pagating, and not one out of a thousand eciual ex- 

 isti g varieties. The number o/yariefies exhibited, 

 therefore, is of little consequence, farther than ma- 

 king a display ; the important question to the pub- 

 lic IS, the quality of the fruit, a material compo- 

 nent part of which, as Mr. Prince himself insists, 

 isy/at'or; which, however, cannot well be deter- 

 mined, if the " show cases" containing the fruit are 

 kept locked, so that the judges even cannot have 

 access to apply the re(iuisite test, perhaps because 

 it was feared tasting might not prove satisfactory, 

 and the appearance ol' the fruit might sell the plants. 

 If the vaunted new seedlings arc so superior, it is 

 surprising that Mr. Prince has not submitted them 

 specifically to the judgment, and obtained a report 

 of some Horticultural Society, as is usual. Hovey's 

 Seedling is certainly not as liigh flavored as some 

 other varieties ; but taking into consideration its 

 great size, beauty, and uncommon productiveness, 



Vol. II. 25 



if properly cultivated, I esteem it upon the whole 

 the best variety now known for general culture ; 

 and being " well known throughout the length and 

 breadth of the land," and its high reputation well 

 established, there is no occasion for Mr. Hovey's 

 incessant blowing of the trumpet of its fame with 

 every modulation, so that its friends are surfeited 

 with its praise ; and the rebuke administered to him 

 by Mr. Prince is not amiss — for however valuable 

 " Hovey's Secdliuir," Mr. H. has himself proclaimed 

 that at least OAie oMer variety (and there possibly 

 maybe more) possesses " very desirable qualities;" 

 and some other than the '' Boston Pine" may be 

 equally suitable for fertilizing his Seedling. It is 

 manifestly unjust, both to the publishers and their pa- 

 trons, for commercial gardeners to use the columns 

 of a horticultural periodical as an advertising me- 

 dium, thereby depriving the former of the compen- 

 sation to which they are entitled for the insertion of 

 such advertisements in disguise in their appropriate 

 place, and the latter of the instruction they would 

 derive from the insertion of valuable matter in the 

 space thus given to subserve the purposes of an in- 

 dividual, and in which those who pay for such space, 

 have little or no interest. Wm. W. Valk. Flushing, 

 ^'epi. 9, 1847. 



iXectarine vs. Peach — Mr. Downing : Your 

 " Cincinnati friend" has, as you requested, noticed 

 the miracle at Portland, endorsed by you. [see Au- 

 gust number] where a tree that produced perfect 

 peaches the last year, was this year covered with a 

 full crop of perfect nectarines. Prodigious ! We 

 have greater wonders here : — A gentleman of hiffh 

 standing two weeks since presented some fine plums 

 to our Horticultural Society, which he assured them 

 came from an apricot stone, planted in the first in- 

 stance in a flower pot. I planted, twelve years 

 since, in a small flower pot, three apricot stones, 

 sent me from Mexico, in a triangular form ; first 

 cracking the stones. In their place came three 

 forest trees, which I was assured were not natives 

 in this latitude. On reading your note, 1 wrote to 

 Portland to learn the /acts in your case. The gen- 

 tleman "planted four or five trees, purchased as 

 peaC'i trees, against a brick wall. He had no 

 knowledge of the nectarine, and presumes there 

 was not one grown in the city. The year before 

 last, one of the trees adjoining the one which 

 changed to a a nectarine, bore five peaches of 

 good size and quality. Last year the tree which 

 now has nectarines, bore two peaches of rich 

 flavor, and was the only tree that bore fruit in his 

 garden last year. He found them on the ground, 

 directly under the tree, and as he was in the habit 

 of examining his trees daily, and several times a 

 (lay, the peaches could not have been long upon the 

 ground. They had cscajied his observation on the 

 tree, and beli ves they were hid by the thick foliage. 

 That they came from the tree, he then and now be- 

 lieves. All are now in fruit, and all peaches, but 

 the one tree." This evidence is about as strong 

 circumstantial ev'u'.ence as you have for believing 

 the Boston nectarine was produced from a peach 

 stone. The evidence in these cases, you must ad- 

 mit, is not as strong as in the case of my forest 

 trees from the apricot stone, or the plutU; from an 

 apricot in Kentucky, opposite this city. The stone 



