1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



113 



baskets graded ten to the bushel, and took one 

 dollar per basket, and realized the snug sum of 

 fifty dollars net for the fruit. I had but few 

 Peaclies last season, and the Alexander did the 

 best of the early kinds. The prospect now is 

 good for all kinds of fi-uit the coming season. 

 I fruited the Bidwell Strawberry last season 

 and was much pleased with it. I have in my 

 collection about twenty varieties and think the 

 Bidwell takes the lead. 



A CURATIVE AND PREVENTATIVE FOR 

 THRIP ON CRAPES. 



BY JOHN PEATTIE, GARDEXER FOR MRS. WM. KELLEY, 

 RHIXEBECK, N. Y. 



As the time is drawing near for starting our 

 early graperies, I wish to relate to the profession 

 and horticulturists, my experience of last season 

 with grape growing under glass. For some years 

 back I have been very much annoyed by the 

 aphis or the so-called light brown thrip, which 

 has been a great deal of vexation to most grape 

 growers, at the latter part of growth destroying 

 the foliage and also leaving a filth on the fruit. 

 Fumigating destroys them somewhat, but is not 

 effectual ; fumigation also leaves a taste on the 

 fruit which gentlemen of refined taste dislike, 

 and is a discredit to the grower. I have asked 

 some of our best chemists to give me a remedy 

 for this pest without injury to foliage or 

 fruit, but found none until last season. After 

 thinning my early house of grapes, foliage 

 being young and tender I did not wish to fumi- 

 gate; it destroj's many tender points. Finding 

 Mr. Thrip making headway and having a large 

 bale of tobacco stems on hand, I mulched the 

 whole inside border or floor with it, which 

 gave with the heat and moisture a strong gas 

 of tobacco or what the chemist calls nicotine. 

 This completely destroyed the thrip or drove 

 them out, giving no injury to either fruit or 

 foliage, and my vines ripened with a beautiful 

 golden foliage. I followed up the same remedy to 

 the second house, then to the third, and all three 

 houses gave me great satisfaction and relief, and it 

 was a pleasure to look on both foliage and fruit. 

 I renewed the mulching in all the three houses 

 about three times during the season, adding a 

 little fresh stems to keep up the so called nico- 

 tine. I also found that the wasps and flies did 

 not injure my ripe fruit or care to come in the 

 houses. Since I made this discovery I have also 

 used the same mulching on roses, and find it 

 destroys the green fly. I have no doubt if it 



was applied to the rose beds outside in the 

 summer, it would have the same effect if the out- 

 side evaporation is not too much. Outside I 

 have not tested the effect, but will guarantee the 

 inside. I have no doubt your readers will be 

 satisfied with this plan and would like to hear 

 from some of them through your columns after 

 testing. 



JAPAN PERSIWIMONS AS TUB PLANTS. 



BY J. B. GARBER, COLUMBIA, PA. 



I notice in the January number of the Gar- 

 dener's Monthly that Mr. Berckmans, of 

 Georgia, sent you some specimens of Japan Per- 

 simmons and that they were good fruit. You say 

 all the trees planted around Philadelphia have 

 been killed by the severe winters. You then ask, 

 "Why can they not be grown in tubs like 

 oranges?" These trees can be grown in tubs 

 like oranges without difficulty and make beau- 

 tiful dwarf shrubs. 



I had a tree of the Japan Persimmon growing 

 for several years in a nine-inch pot, and in 1880 

 this shrub ripened five fruits, yellow as an orange 

 and of a most delicious quality — none of the 

 astringency of our native varieties. Last spring 

 I gave it a larger tub and it bore no fruit, but 

 made a good growth. All my native persim- 

 mons bore no fruit last season. Though the 

 trees (half-dozen) were not injured I suppose the 

 fruit buds must have suffered by the severe cold 

 of the winter of 1880 and 1881—22° below zero. 



Yes, these Japan persimmon shrubs may easily 

 be grown in tubs and they can be placed in a 

 cellar or some out-house in the winter. The 

 ground in the pot of my plant was frozen hard 

 as a rock, yet it did not injure the plant, unless 

 the cold may have injured the buds, but the 

 shrubs grew well last season. I have now several 

 other varieties which I intend to grow in the 

 same manner, in tubs. 



BENTLEY'S SWEET APPLE. 



BY J. r. k., near lovettsville, va. 



I send you two apples by mail— Bentley's 

 Sweet — which you will see described by Down- 

 ing. I don't remember ever seeing it mentioned 

 in my nurseryman's list or catalogue, and pre- 

 sume it cannot be in general cultivation. I got 

 it from Ohio, Downing says it is a Virginian. 



It comes up so fully, as I think, to the require- 

 ments of a first-class apple, that I am induced to 

 send you a specimen for your criticism. It is 



