152 MajiU7'€ /or tfie Grape. 



Do Apples Reproduce their Like? 



ED. Western Horticulturist : Do apples ever reproduce the identical same 

 fruit from seeds, is a question often asked, some asserting they do, others deny- 

 ing. That they do occasionally reproduce the same fruit from seeds, an exactness in 

 all parts, is a fact I have seen more than once. Whilst at home with my father, he 

 set twenty-five trees, all from seed of the Milan apple, and all came true to the 

 parent tree, in tree, fruit and time of ripening ; and last year had a seedling cherry 

 crab to come into bearing a complete representative of the parent ; but such, I 

 admit, is not often the case, not even bearing a resemblance in tree. We have young 

 trees grown from crab seed, some are crab in tree, others apple ; and others grown 

 from carefully selected apple seeds ; that perfect apple and perfect crab trees are 

 found in stme lot, showing a variation from the parent in tree, as well as in fruit, 

 is possible. The seeds of the apple and crab all grew close together, and the trees, 

 as far as they have borne, show crab fruit on all trees showing crab, and sorry to say 

 on nearly all the balance, though a little improved in size and flavor over the fruit of 

 any of the regular crab trees, and indeed over any crabs we have yet grown, but none 

 a really good eating apple. Have some hundred more fine seedlings to come in yet, 

 on which will report from time to time. 



Excelsior, Minnesota. Peter M. Gideon. 



N. B. — Would add, pears dead or badly damaged, and all varieties of the apple 

 hurt, more or less ; but few apples this season. Grapes not covered, all dead, the 

 smaller fruits generally sound, I think, owing perhaps to the great depth of early 

 snow-fall: The winter was cold, beyond any precedent known to oldest settlers, the 

 snow not all gone yet — three feet of ice on the lake, March 30. 



T 



Manure for the G-rape. 



HE following, taken from a work on Manuring the Vineyard, is good advice. We 

 J- are of the opinion that the application of a compost thus made, will benefit a vine- 

 yard, however rich or poor the soil may be. 



" It is neither desirable nor necessary to impart to the vine too much luxuriousness. 

 As a general thing, not enough importance is attached to a rational method of ma- 

 nuring, often required to assist the growth of the vine, though an excessive system 

 of manuring will delay the ripening of the grapes, and impair the quality and quan- 

 tity of wine produced. 



" It is very important that the manure used should not only furnish to the vine nour- 

 ishment, but also impart to it warmth. Further, no manure should be used which 

 assists the growth of the wood, but which does not promote the yield of the wine. 



" Fresh animal manure is not suitable for vineyards, as it contains too much nitroge- 

 nous nourishment of excessive richness. It is therefore advisable to mix with it 

 masses of ground, for the purpose of properly dividing the manure. Good ground is 

 mixed with animal manure, horn shavings, ashes, bones, sawdust, dry leaves, muck, 

 etc., in heaps, which must be moistened frequently with water, etc., and frequently 

 stirred or mixed together." 



