304 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[October, 



or budded on plum ; but on their natural roots 

 will no doubt do better on all the thin, sandy 

 land of the South. 



[This was a very good plum, but we do not 

 want any more " wild goose plums." Everybody 

 has the " true one," and yet we get no two alike. 

 The only way out of this snarl is to drop the 

 name "wild goose," and re-name the whole lot 

 over again from grafted plants, with a proper 

 pedigree to each stock. This seedling business 

 has mussed the whole race. — Ed. G. M.] 



Peasgood's Nonsuch Apple, is the subject of a 

 colored plate in the Florid and Pomologist, and is 

 represented as one of the handsomest autumn 

 apples they have. As figured, it is 13 inches 

 round, and of a deep orange color, with crimson 

 Btripes on the sunny side. It is said to be " an 

 apple of good quality." 



Dr. Boynton's Peau Orchard. — Some years 

 years ago the most beautiful pears " in the 

 world " came to the exhibitions from the pear 

 orchard of Dr. Boynton, of Syracuse. The trees 

 at last failed, and went fast to destruction. Dr. B. 

 had reason to believe that it was due to the sys- 

 tem of ploughing and other deep cultivating prac- 

 tices then popular and prevalent, and gave up 

 the surface-stirring practice. We met the doctor 

 recently, and he reports that since that time the 

 trees have done all that he can expect of them, 

 and are in every way satisfactory. 



The Apple Crop in Massachusetts is very 

 heavy, and although the pear trees are loaded 

 with fruits, the pears are not as a rule so large 

 and fine as they were last year. Tlic pear-blight 

 played sad work amongst some orchards near 

 Boston, 



Another Wild Goose. — A. Hance & Son 

 write : " By to-day's mail we send a couple of 

 specimens of wild goose plum. These were taken 

 from a tree selected as a genuine irild goose out 

 of a lot sent us by Sam'l A. Baker, Davidson Co., 

 Tenn., the disseminator of the wild goose plum, 

 and who claims to own the original tree. They 

 are not quite up to the usual size, owing perhaps 

 to the very dry weather we are having. There is 

 also a beautiful bloom on the fruit as it hangs on 

 the tree, but which was rubbed ofl' those we send 

 in picking. It may be seen about the stem, 

 however." 



[Please don't any correspondent write any 

 more about Avild goose plum. This is a good 

 enough plum for a native plum, but no more 



like Myers' than a damson is like a prune. 

 They must be all named over again — then they 

 will be " genuine."— Ed. G. M.] 



QUERIES. 



Classification of Fruits. — In reference to 

 note in our last, though not intended for publica- 

 tion, our friend will, we are sure pardon our giv- 

 ing the following : 



Union Springs, N. Y. September 6th, 1876. 



Mr. Editor: — Please allow me to make a 

 slight correction of the remark in the last num- 

 ber of the Gardener's Monthly, page 272, where I 

 am included with those who " assert that any 

 better system of classification [of fruits] than that 

 of heterogeneous mass of descriptions, is vision- 

 ary." The first revised edition of the American 

 Fruit Cidturist, issued twenty-seven years ago, 

 had a distinct classification, entirely my own for 

 most of the fruits, and nearly the same has been 

 continued in all the editions since published. 

 When Dr. Warder was preparing his work, he 

 courteously asked me to allow him to adopt my 

 plan, which he did with some modifications and 

 additions. It is quite probable that important 

 improvements might be made, as my chief object 

 was to employ a simple one, readily understood by 

 every cultivator, and readily used or applied at 

 the time of the maturity of the fruits. I have 

 not written this for publication, but it may be 

 well to give its substance. Very truly, 



"J. J. Thomas." 



Forcing EnuBARB.-"Reader," Bridgeport, Ind., 

 says : " Will you please give us an article in the 

 Gardener's Monthly on the forcing of Pie-plant ; 

 the plans and appliances to do the same in a 

 sviall and also large way, the ins and outs of the 

 work in detail and oblige an old reader." 



[Rhubarb is so easily forced that there is 

 really no art about it. Any one who has a green- 

 house or warm celler can have rhubarb any 

 time in tlife winter by getting the roots from out 

 of doors, and planting in these warm places. 

 They require no light, but sprout and go on as 

 do potatoes. Some put barrels over them in the 

 open ground, and then a little strawy manure or 

 leaves around the barrels, and this brings the 

 stalks forward a few weeks before they would 

 naturally come. So little heat starts the growth 

 that forcing rhubarb is very easy. — Ed. G. M.] 



