1879. 



A XD HO R TIC UL T UR IS T. 



207 



tivcly in the case of the fungoid cracking of 

 White Doyenne, it will not, as we know of one 

 top grafted with Bartlett twelve years ago. 

 The Bartletts are always good, the White Doy- 

 enne never, all on the same tree. 



Very Early Peaches. — The fruit promised 

 by Mr. John H. Parnell, of West Point, Georgia, 

 came duly to Iiand on the 25th of last month. 

 The Early Beatrice came in the best condition. 

 As a matter of profit it is doubtful whether these 

 very early peaclies would be a success in the 

 Philiidelpliia market. The fruit is not equal in 

 quality to the later kinds, and as they come in the 

 heiglit of the strawberry season, we fancy the 

 latter fruit would keep the lead in most tastes. 



Large Strawberries. — Philadelphia was 

 this season supplied with an immense quantity 

 of large and luscious strawberries, reminding us 

 of the days when Knox brought in his immense 

 crops of Triomphe de Grand and Jucundas. 

 Although we aspire to be a member of the 

 Board of Xew Fruit Patents when it is organ- 

 ized, we must admit that we could not in all 

 cases tell exactly what kinds they were. Per- 

 haps they were seedlings as yet unnamed. At 

 any rate either good culture or good kinds gave 

 us this season good strawberries. 



Fruit of the Japan Persimmon. — We have 

 been desirous to know whether the Japan Per- 

 simmon, so very grateful to the palate in the 

 dried form as received from Asia, is desirable as 

 a fresh fruit. Dr. Calder who served some years 

 as a missionary in Cliina, informs us that it is 

 one of the most agreeable of fruits, and quite 

 free from that astringency which gives to the 

 American variety its defective character. 



Peaches in Kew Hampshire. — Mr. Jacob 

 Manning tells the American CuUivaior that he 

 saw hundreds of bushels of beautiful fruit in 

 Goffstowu, New Hampshire, last year, and that 

 theyseldom fail of a full crop on such high hill 

 farms in that State. He thinks there will be a 

 full crop and the " whole land may hope for 

 peaches this year." 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Injury from Seventeen-year Locust. 

 A Western Missouri correspondent writes : 

 "Wliat are called the seventeen-year locusts are 

 hatchinir out here in irreat numbers and we 



would enquire whether they do much damage to 

 nursery stock or not, and if so, if there is any- 

 thing that can be done? We think you had 

 them East, a year or so ago, but we paid no at- 

 tention to reports of them at the time. Any 

 information you can give will greatly oblige." 

 [This insect comes to the surface of the earth 

 for the purpose of depositing its eggs, and then 

 dying. It has a short, but merry life as a per- 

 fect insect. The eggs are deposited in the 

 young branches. The young larva feeds on the 

 branch, and by the time it is large enough to go 

 into the ground, the twig breaks oft, and in this 

 way deforms the tree. Then the stock looks 

 bad by the scar made on the bark by the act of 

 oviposition. This is the chief injury. Where 

 there are large forest trees, they often prefer 

 the heights, to lower nursery trees. — Ed. G. M.] 



The Rocklington Grape. — Mr. John Charl- 

 ton, Rochester, N. Y., sends a plant of a grape 

 vine, with the following account of it : " It is a 

 large showy white gi'ape, of fair quality, good 

 constitution, a great cropper and entirely hardy." 



Peach Yellows in Michigan. — An intel- 

 ligent South Haven correspondent writes : " I 

 have read some tilings from your correspondents 

 in Illinois in regard to peach trees, which I 

 should have liked to answer. ' The Vagaries of 

 the Peach ' amused us, because it was an excel- 

 lent description of the ' yellows.' I thought 

 some more experienced person ought to explain, 

 because it was through ignorance that the dis- 

 ease was introduced here. Such abnormally 

 large fruit, and such early ripening of a well 

 known sort, induced a peach grower to buy a 

 tree, and thousands were budded from it. The 

 loss to our own town can scarcely be estimated. 

 The fruit ripens at least two weeks before its 

 usual time, is unusually large, spotted red, and 

 rather tasteless. Contrary to common belief 

 the disease begins in the top of the tree, one 

 branch or twig alone sometimes ; seldom attacks 

 the whole tree at once, and kills it gradually 

 from the top down. Now is it possible that the 

 disease is in the roots ? The leaves look healthy 

 but the small shoots die off in a mass on the 

 bearing wood. The only abnormal appearance 

 is in thickend spots in the pith of the bearing 

 wood. Erysiphi was common on the trees last 

 year, as well as the curled leaf (Ascomyces defor- 

 mans), but this year the trees look much better. 

 We have no remedy, but destroy what Ave can- 

 not cure." 



