1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



81 



one bunch of Trebbiana, a white grape, which 

 weighed twenty pounds, three ounces. The 

 premiums ranged from $100 to $150. 



Plum, Bassett.— The Bassett Plum is receiving 

 encomiums at the West. Prof. Budd speaks 

 well of its doings at Ames, Iowa, and doubts 

 whether it is a variety of Prunus maritima. 

 Stark & Co., of Louisiana, Missouri, have this to 

 «ay of the relative value of the fruit for that sec- 

 tion : 



" A remarkably prolific variety. While it is 

 not of first quality, it is good, and bears abun- 

 dant crops and is practically proof against the 

 curculio. Fruit small ; deep crimson with a 

 heavy bloom ; sweet, rifch, and pleasant. Ripens 

 last of September and will bear shipment in per- 

 fect condition, almost any distance. The great 

 value of this plum is for culinary uses — it has no 

 equal for dessert — for which it is superior to the 

 cranberry, as it requires very little sugar, and 

 needs only a little cooking to prepare it for use." 



Raspberries in the North. — The raspberry is 

 a native of high northern or mountainous re- 

 gions, and hence we read of success with kinds 

 in the cooler portions of our country with varie- 

 ties which, becoming enervated by climates they 

 are not adapted to become the prey of the in- 

 sects or diseases, and are then too tender to stand 

 even a moderate winter. The editor of the 

 Canadian Horticulturist gives a list of kinds which 

 do well in that region. He commends Highland 

 simply for ita earliness, though the Turaer, bet- 

 ter in other respects, is nearly as early. It a 

 a profuse suckerer, and must have the hoe kept 

 going freely over the ground in the growing sea- 

 son. He thinks well of the Cuthbert, and re- 

 gards the Niagara as a promising variety. The 

 Caroline is a fair white kind. Philadelphia is 

 valued for its enormous crops, but nothing more. 

 Franconia and Clarke, with some faults, seem to 

 be the favorites. 



The Earliest Peach.— In some extended ob- 

 servations at Rochester the past season, Mr. W. C. 

 Barry finds the Brigg's Red May ripe on July 

 24th, though he had splendid specimens of Alex- 

 ander and Arasdea on July 26th. Waterloo 

 came in on the 27th. Beatrice was ripe on the 

 4th of August ; Louise on the 7th ; Rivers on the 

 10th ; Le<jpold on the 15th ; Rivers' Early York, 

 18th ; Early Mignonne, 20th ; Hale's Early Au- 

 gust, 22nd. 



Some years ago, when introducers claimed 

 that their novelties would ripen ten days or two 

 weeks before the Hale's Early, it was thought 

 almost too good to be true ; but we find here 



that nearly a month has been gained, at least in 

 the latitude of Rochester. This is certainly a 

 great advance. 



Raspberry, Shaffer's Colossal.— This seems 

 to be one of the native class, perhaps of the race 

 of the Black Caps. Mr. Green compares it with 

 the Mammoth Cluster. It is in season about 

 the same time, and roots from the tip, as do 

 others of that class. The color is reddish brown. 

 Mr. T T. Lyon says that it has more than the 

 usual vigor of Rubus occidentalis. It has a ten- 

 dency to fruit on the growth of the same season 

 as the Catawissa does. From accounts it appears 

 to be a promising fruit. It was introduced to 

 notice by George Shaffer, of Wheatland, Monroe 

 Co., N. Y. 



Bees and Fruit. — At the recent meeting of 

 the Pennsylvania State Horticultural Society, a 

 member contended that bees could not, from the 

 structure of their mouths, penetrate the skin of 

 a grape, unless the fruit was cracked, or in some 

 way injured first. The evidence, that where 

 flowers were scarce, bees did immense damage 

 to fruit, was conclusive, and that bunches were 

 always saved when enclosed in paper bags, 

 seemed to prove that the bees did all the 

 damage. 



Very Hardy Apples. — A large number get in- 

 jured by Canadian winters. The Canadian Hor- 

 ticulturist reports the following as always hardy 

 there. Tetofsky, Yellow Transparent, Duchess 

 of Oldenburg, Wealthy, Magog Red Streak, and 

 Scott's Winter, and all first class varieties. 



Apple, Rome Beauty. — This variety is consid- 

 ered one of the most valuable from Southern 

 Ohio. 



Can Fruit Trees be Over-fed ?— President 

 Barry believes that trees or plants that are 

 under-fed become stunted and are neither use- 

 ful nor beautiful. The sooner they die the bet- 

 ter. Those that are over-fed make a rank, 

 watery growth, which does not ripen, and is not 

 in a condition to resist cold. 



Phylloxera. — The Journal of Horticulture 

 says : Considerable success, we are informed, 

 has attended the experiments of M. Thiolli^re 

 de risle at Tain, in France, to check the ravages 

 of Phylloxera, by planting his vines in a soil 

 especially prepared with sulphide of carbon. 



Flat Culture in Potato Growing.— A few 

 years ago there was much dispute whether 



