ISTG.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



141 



a plate of same kind of peach I sent you. I also 

 sent same to Clias. Downing, who says it is a new 

 peach. Rivers, of England, has sent out a yel- 

 low peach called Comet, and it will be necessary 

 to give this one a new name, and I have decided 

 to call it Billiers' Comet, as it originated with a 

 Mr. Billiers, of Kent Co., Md." Again, on page 

 27, Mr. Munson says, " I still find there is a mis- 

 take in the name of the Comet peach — name is 

 Billieu's Comet." Now^, Mr. Editor, I think 

 there is no good to come of having too many 

 names for one fruit. This peach was originally 

 put out by S. G. Bilyeu, of Littleton, N. C, and 

 he named it Bilyeu's Late October. Now I find 

 it under the following names : Billiers' Comet, 

 Billieu's Comet, Bilyeu's Sweet October, and fur- 

 ther, it has taken premiums under other names, 

 "which can be corrected at another lime. Your 

 correspondent says it originated with a Mr. Bil- 

 liers, of Kent Co., Md. No one of that name 

 ever lived iu Kent Co., — at least fifty years back ; 

 this I know of my own knowledge, as I am well 

 acquainted with all the prominent fruit growers 

 of Kent Co. The Peach was found by Mr. 

 Bilyeu in Caroline Co., Md., and has been plant- 

 ed extensively in Kent, Caroline, and Dorchester 

 Co's., Md., and where soil is dry. and light loam, or 

 sandy, does fin.cl}'. As I wished to have the 

 above corroborated by good authority, I wrote 

 Col. E. Wilkins, of Kent Co., Md., calling his 

 attention to the matter, as he planted largely of 

 the Bilyeu's Late October, and from the first lot 

 that was propagated from the original tree. The 

 Colonel planted on diflferent kinds of soil, and I 

 propose to give here an extract from his letter in 

 answer to mine, for such information as he could 

 give in reference to this peach. To save confu- 

 sion, I am anxious it should have but one name. 

 Col. E. W. -writes as follows : 



EivERSiDE, Kekt Co., Md., Feb 4th, 1S76. 



Randolph Peters, Esq. : 



Dear Sir : — Yours of the 2d inst. received. Some 

 people in Kent Co , Md., as well as the corres- 

 pondent in the Gardener's Monthly, have got 

 things not a little, as you say, but I think a good 

 deal mixed up. I know but one peach called 

 the Comet, the one sent out by Thos. Rivers, a 

 yellow-fleshed peach, ripens with me about with 

 Smock. The peach you allude to is known to 

 me as Bilyeu's Late October, and was propa- 

 gated by Bilyeu from what he supposed to be a 

 natural tree, which he found in Caroline Co., 

 Md. With the owner's permission he obtained 



specimens of the fruit, and secured buds to pro- 

 pagate from the next season, and in due time he 

 planted them on land thnt he got on shares, both 

 in Caroline and Dorchester Co., Md. I succeeded 

 in getting quite a large lot of him. Several par- 

 ties propagating peach trees in this county for 

 sale, got buds from me of this peach, and every 

 fellow seems to have thought he had a right to 

 give it a new name. Some of these pnrties 

 called it Comet. Sherman calls his Sherman's 

 October. Now about the peach. It is not a shy 

 bearer, but sometimes, Avhen most other varie- 

 ties nre full, these will have none on them, but 

 most generally when there is a crop this variety 

 is well loaded. This is not the only peculiarity. 

 1 do not know any peach that is so much influ- 

 enced by soil and situation as the Bilyeu's Late 

 October. When grow-n upon high, dry, sandy 

 soil of good quality, you obtain a valuable peach 

 for market and for table use. They are large 

 size, fine color and fine, flavor, but when grown 

 under other circumstances are small, and infe- 

 rior in quality. There are only a few spota 

 where I have them planted that suits them. I 

 have sold this fruit after the 20th of October at 

 $4 per box, when the ruling price during the sea- 

 son for peaches was less than $2. 



Respectfully yours, 



Edward Wilkins. 



TRAINING GCOSEBERRIES. 



EY W. A. HARKETT, DUBUQUE, IOWA. 



In your editorial notes for Eebruary, I nolico 

 an extract from Florist and Pomologid in regard 

 to training gooseberries on north side of a wall, 

 and would say that the writer of this has spent 

 many hours training not only goosel>erries, but 

 red and Avhite currants, plums, cherries, and 

 pears, near London, England, where it is done 

 to obtain late fruit fresh for the table long after 

 the main crop is over, and economize space on 

 costly walls. Currants and gooseberries were 

 trained as described in Florist and PomologiM; 

 pears, horizontally; plums and cherries in the 

 fan-shaped style. 



Also in regard to preserving grape?, a little 

 charcoal finely broken is usually put in the bot- 

 tles to keep water pure, and that chloride of lime 

 is use I in the fruit rooms to absorb the moisture 

 evaporated by the fruit, and which may be dried 

 and used over again indefinitely. 



