1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



79 



It is often called billberry here. But his trouble 

 is the same, so noted and lamented by your con- 

 tributors. The birds know they are good, and 

 are bound to get their share. They will hardly 

 let enough ripen to supply his table. He has 

 never tried any bird scare that I know of ; but the 

 small bush, he one year covered with gauze, and 

 thus shut oft" his feathered visitors, and saved his 

 berries. This would be rather expensive on any 

 more than a small family supply. But doubtless, 

 if as largely planted as some other fruits, the 

 birds would hardly eat enough to do much hurt. 

 If so, the birds are good to eat, and we should go 

 for them. 



Now, how is my friend to propagate such a 

 bush ? I thought he ought to know, but he did 

 not. Yet he is an experienced propagator. Can 

 the Monthly or any body tell us the way? Of 

 course there is the way by the seed open for all. 

 But I fancy it would be a slow process to stock a 

 tield or nursery with its seedlings. They would 

 most likely come true to kind, and lend us hope 

 of a gain of some better berry. And this leads 

 me to ask why more thorough and systematic 

 effort has not been made after better varieties of 

 our native small fruits, through selection of the 

 best and planting their seeds, and so on till a 

 high excellence and size was reached? I may 

 write in ignorance, because I have not posted 

 myself, but has there been for one native rasp- 

 berry, blackberry, dewberry, whortleberry, and 

 creeping blackberry, any thorough attempt to 

 improve on the best of each by their seedlings? 

 Have not all, or the most of our American fruits 

 owed their advance to chance rather than well 

 thought mating of varieties and planting of 

 seeds ? The strawberry and the grape, have 

 won in this regard marked trials and grand suc- 

 cess. Is not like eff"ort deserved in behalf of all 

 small fruits ? 



Let no one forget, what Van Mons and Knight 

 did for pears, what may yet be done for apples, 

 and by close following well proved rules of 

 breeding new varieties, what wonderous de- 

 velopement may yet glorify the growing things 

 that minister to men's comfort ? But, even before 

 we reach out for great' improvement through 

 mating and seeding, should not the field for 

 chance varieties of excellence be well reached 

 over ? Full many of the small fruits developed 

 into higher grades without the help of man, are 

 to be found I doubt not, by the way-sides and 

 foot-paths, in out of-the-way corners. I well 

 remember, on the march from Gettysburg in 



that timid halting pursuit of Lee, that through 

 the unmown fields of Virginia, across which we 

 tramped for shorter routes, the boys could hardly 

 be kept in the ranks, they so craved the big trail- 

 ing blackberries then in their prime ; those large 

 luscious, melting berries crowded our trail on 

 every side. They were greatly larger and better 

 than any high bush berry I ever saw ; or else 

 hard tack and pork, had brought a joy and relish 

 to anything appetizing. I should think many of 

 them were an inch and a-half in length, and 

 three-fourths of an inch in largest width. Are 

 these tender farther North ? Have they ever 

 been tried? How would a cross of this, and of a 

 fine Lawton or Kittatiny do? Are these spe- 

 cies too remote and unlike to make promis- 

 ing hybrids ? Now this wayside, local, trailing 

 blackberry, I cite but as one among fine fruits 

 hidden that ought to be revealed. I doubt not 

 that through their whole range, like neglected 

 excellence can be found in each, awaiting some 

 neighborhood horticultural society to bring out. 

 Brethern attend ! Let's take counsel about these 

 things. ' 



ANTS IN FLORIDA. 



BY C. E., PHILADELPHIA. 



In the December number of the Monthly I 

 notice the article " advantages and disadvantages 

 of Florida." As the writer wishes to know some 

 method to get rid of the pests as he calls the ants, 

 and I think I can suggest some, I do not hesi- 

 tate to give my experience. 



Having been engaged for some time in garden 

 work in South America, about the same climate 

 as Florida, where ants are to the cultivator of 

 the soil the greatest foe, I will describe below 

 the way in which gardens are kept clear of them. 

 All small farms or gardens are divided into 

 squares by ditches about two feet deep, in low 

 places. Water is kept constantly in them to pre- 

 vent the ants colonizing from other places. If 

 a nest of them is discovered a large kettle is placed 

 near the nest with water, under which a fire 

 is built •, as soon as the water is boiling the work 

 of destruction begins by pouring the hot water 

 on the nest and earth ; water and ants are woi'ked 

 and mixed about the same way as mortar is 

 made, only quicker. This mixture when dry will 

 be as hard as stone ; care should be taken so that 

 few ants can escape, for they will make new colo- 

 nies and the work will have to be done over again. 

 If, however, the nest is under a tree, or as I often 

 have found, under a house, the method is different 



