1876.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



n 



We believe at this moment of writing, as we 

 have already said, that in this fight the Express 

 companies will prove stronger than the people. 

 We suppose the newspapers will be strong enough 

 to have the law altered, as it affects printed mat- 

 ter; but seeds, plants and such things will remain- 

 We shall be glad to find that we are mistaken, 

 and trust no effort will be lacking to prove that 

 we are wrong. — Ed. G. M.] 



Phylloxera ox the Roots of Grape. — G. A. 

 P., Waltham, Mass., says : — " I send in this pack- 

 age a few lona Grape roots and wish you would 

 be kind enough to inform me if the knots on the 

 roots are caused by the Phj-lloxera. Please answer 

 through the columns of your valuable maga- 

 zine." 



[Yes, it is the Phylloxera, and a very bad case. 

 Generally, as we have seen, only the fibres are 

 attacked. In these, many of the main roots are 

 suffering also. Such Grapes should not be jjlanted 

 until every swollen part be cut away. — Ed. G. M.] 



W"n.D Celery. — M. L. saj-s : — " In Baltimore 

 recently, and dining with a friend, I was struck 

 with the excellency of some duck, and was told 

 that itjWas through the bird having been fed on 

 Celery. Is it generally known that Celery has 

 this effect on the flesh of the duck." 



[We examined this matter some years ago, and 

 gave the results in the Gardetier's Monthly at that 

 time. It is not Celery, but a wild pond weed with 

 long grass-like leaves, known to botanists as Val- 

 lisneria spiralis, and which the sportsmen call 

 wild Celery. It does not impart any of its own 

 particular properties to the duck, but is favorable 

 to the bird's nutrition — just as corn would be, in 

 making flesh in an ox superior to hay or fodder. 

 —Ed. G.M.] 



Grapes for a Cold Grapery. — B., Lebanon, 

 Pa., asks : " What are the best grapes for a cold 

 grapery ?" 



[The best of all kinds for a cold grapery is the 

 Black Hamburg. Perhaps for an amateur who 

 takes pleasure in their growth, some variety 

 would be preferable. In this case a vine or so 

 of some of the forms of Chasselas for earlier, and 

 the West; St. Peters for later, might be desirable. 

 These are very old, but standard kinds. If one 

 is particularly fond of the subject, of course some 

 of the newer kinds, as Golden Hamburg, Muscat 

 Hamburg, Trentham Black, &c., may be intro- 

 duced ; but still looking to the Black Hariiburg 

 as the leading stand-by. — Ed. G. M.] 



The HicxHland Hardy Raspberry. — A corres- 

 pondent from Ulster Co., N. Y., sends us the fol- 

 lowing. We may say that we know nothing of 

 the variety personally : 



"This variety^ though surpassed, perhaps, in 

 some respects by others more widely known, has 

 nevertheless valuable qualities that commend it 

 to the attention of fruit growers throughout the 

 land. A short description of its qualities, habits 

 of growth, and manner of cultivation will proba- 

 bly be of interest to amateurs and others who 

 may be giving their attention to the cultivation 

 or testing of new varieties of fruits. 



" Originating in this county several years ago, 

 it has rapidly gained such a popularity that 

 large plantations have been made of them, super- 

 seding other well-known varieties. The plant is 

 of vigorous growth, from 4 to 6 feet in height, 

 which affords an abundance of wood for the sup- 

 port of the fruit. The canes are perfectly hardy, 

 and have withstood a temperature of 16° and 20° 

 below zero during the past winters without in- 

 jury. I give them no protection whatever, nor 

 do they require it, as the canes bear fruit in 

 abundance to their very tops. This valuable 

 trait of being entirely hardy is the chief cause 

 why they have supplanted so largely the Ant- 

 werps and other kinds previously grown, that re- 

 quired winter protection. To such an extent are 

 they superseding the well known Hudson River 

 Antwerp, that the time is probably not far dis- 

 tant when they will supplant them almost en- 

 tirely in the River Counties which supply so 

 largely the markets of New York city. 



They seem adapted to nearly all kinds of soil, 

 such as corn and other hoed crops are usually 

 grown upon, with the exception of clay flats, or 

 low, poorly drained fields. For the purpose of 

 experimenting, I have planted them on a diver- 

 sity of soils, and find that they can be grown 

 with profit even upon a heavy clay soil, if well 

 drained, either naturally or artificially, though 

 they do best on a gravelly soil, or light loam. 



"The berry is a bright red, unusually firm, 

 which makes it of great value for shipping to 

 distant markets; flavor very good, comparing 

 favorably with other kinds ; size of fruit, medium 

 to large, surpassed in thi^ respect by other sorts, 

 such as Herstine, Brandywine, or the Antwerps. 

 The plants ripen their fruit considerably earlier 

 than most of the red varieties, coming into mar- 

 ket or upon the table a little before the Ken- 

 tucky, Jucunda or Col. Cheney strawberries dis- 

 appear. 



