1877.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



241 



Packing American Apples. — A Dublin corres- 

 pondent of an English Horticultural jourijal is 

 astonished that American ajy^les get there with- 

 out any packing material, nothing but the ap- 

 ples." Brother Jonathan has learnt that an 

 apple tightly packed cannot bruise, and packing 

 material is only 'of use to avoid bruising. We 

 must apply this to the pear, and then, perhaps, 

 can get a European trade in them also. With 

 some air-tight material around such fruit, pres- 

 sure will not perhaps rot them. 



Origin of the Los Angeles or Mission Grape. 

 — As our readers know, our people found the 

 grape quite at home in California when the 

 country became a State in our Union. The 

 grape is of the European species — Vitis vinifera 

 — and to-day all kinds of foreign grapes do just 

 as well as American kinds do here. There need 

 be no mystery about the origin of the grapes at 

 Los Angeles, for a " missionary," or uny other 

 person, had only to sow some seeds of a raisin to 

 get them; but, as the following is getting exten- 

 sive circulation, and may mislead those inter- 

 ested in grape history on this continent, we give 

 it in order to say that the Vitis vinifera is not a 

 native of Mexico : — " Le Roy Gomez writes from 

 the Sandwich Islands to the Bulletin concerning 

 the origin of the Mission grape as follows : — 

 Universal tradition among a people, if not his- 

 tory itself, must be accepted as the basis of his- 

 tory, and a residence of many years in Mexico, 

 and a thorough inquiry relative to the origin of 

 the grape in that republic, has resulted in the 

 conviction that the Mission grape is indigenous 

 and originated in the wild grape of northern 

 Mexico. 



"The colonial policy of Spain prohibited the 

 cultivation of the grape and the manufacture of 

 wine in all of her American possessions. The 

 vine was never introduced into Mexico during 

 the colonial dependency, from any part of Eu- 

 rope. Its cultivation was contraband, and the 

 little that was carried on was done clandes- 

 tinely by the priests in the more northern mis- 

 sions. 



"Alter the expedition of Coronado had awak- 

 ened the spirit of adventure toward New Mexi- 

 co, various military expeditions were sent out in 

 that direction. One of these expeditions in tra- 

 versing the vast region known as the Balson de 

 Mapemi, discovered among the hills in which 

 arise the springs that form the stream flowing 

 into the Laguna de Los Parras, a quantity of de- 



licious grapes growing wild. From the trailing 

 of the vines over the rocks and trees, they called 

 the place Parras. On their march northward 

 they came to the source of the Rio Concha, 

 which flows into the Rio Grande del Norte. 

 There they also found grapes of the same vari- 

 ety growing wild,and they called the place Parral, 

 a name also significant of the trailing of the 

 vines. 



" From these two sources spring all the grapes 

 in Mexico, including the Mission grapes, which, 

 according to tradition, were brought overland 

 from El Paso del Norte to California." 



Hardiness of the Japan Persimmon. — We 

 shall be glad to have any information about the 

 hardiness of the Diospyros kaki in the Eastern 

 States. About four Winters ago, some six rather 

 strong plants in the possession of a friend of the 

 writer's, were killed ; but as the roots of young 

 native Persimmons, Walnuts, Liquidambars, 

 Silver Thorns, and many kinds of plants usually 

 hardy, were also killed, it was thought to be ex- 

 ceptional. The past Winter has not been re- 

 garded as exceptionally severe on deciduous 

 trees, but a plant of the Japan Persimmon has 

 been killed to the ground. But it was not a 

 strong plant. How is it elsewhere? 



The Apple State.— The celebrated Thomas 

 Andrew Knight once said of England's famous 

 Apple district, " Plerefordshire is not so much 

 indebted to its soil as to some valuable varie- 

 ties." This is probably true of many of our own 

 celebrated spots. New York has had the repu- 

 tation of being the great American apple State, 

 but how much of this was due to its Newtown 

 Pippins (now failing) and to the fine Baldwins 

 and Greenings which it produces? When other 

 States take so much pains to find out just what 

 are best suited to themselves, instead of follow- 

 ing up the experiences of orchardists elsewhere, 

 we may have a great many great Apple States. 



The Wilder Pear. — The California Farmer 

 speaks in high praise of this variety. In com- 

 parison with Glout Morceau and other well- 

 known very late kinds, it is far superior. The 

 Farmer, by the way, gives an excellent jiortrait 

 of Col. Wilder, with its account of the Wilder 

 Pear, thus giving those of its readers who may 

 not be able to attend the next meeting of the Am. 

 Pomological Society at Baltimore, a chance at 

 least to see what their President looks like. 



Popular English Apples. — Fruit shows are 



