240 



THE GARDENERS MONTHL Y 



[August, 



berries. I question whether the Crescent gets a 

 fair chance with many growers, having at first 

 been sent out as weed-proof, which it is to a 

 great extent, but which, in my opinion, has 

 operated very much against its real value, as 

 there are so many careless cuUivators to which 

 the Crescent seemed to be a "windfall," expect- 

 ing to get enormous crops with little or no atten- 

 tion except planting. In all my experience I 

 found none that responds more bountifully to 

 proper care than this. It is almost purely pis- 

 tilate and shuuid be planted adjacent to varieties 

 which are strongly staminate, although in some 

 seasons or in certain favorable conditions, it pro- 

 duces fine crops without such aid. 



With regard to the productiveness of Sharp- 

 less I should have said that it is scarcely second 

 to any that I have yet grown, and in addition 

 produces a larger proportion of large berries 

 than any other variety that I have yet tested. 

 Next to the above I value Charles Downing 

 and Cumberland, and shall not yet discard them 

 as they have given paying crops. Boyden's 

 No. 30, and Monarch of the West, produce fair 

 crops of large berries, but are objectionable on 

 account of green tips when the bulk of the 

 T)erry is ripe; besides they are only of second 

 quality. Great Prolific is too dark and soft for 

 a market berry, and lacks that great produc 

 tiveness which was claimed for it. President 

 Lincoln promised well at first, and much as I 

 would like to honor it on account of its name, 

 shall discard it; it makes a few large berries 

 of first quality, but not much more can be 

 claimed for it. 



Kentucky will be retained on account of its 

 lateness and fine quality, although rather soft 

 for shipping. It will also bear careless culture 

 better than most other kinds. De Gand has 

 size, quality and firmness, but lacks produc- 

 tiveness, and makes too many imperfect 

 berries. Huddlesen is a fine large berry, very 

 much like Cumberland, but more acid, and 

 foliage suffers more from hot sun. Windsor 

 Chief, moderately productive, rather acid. Glen- 

 dale, one of the most worthless I have yet 

 tested. Garden, excellent but not sufficiently 

 productive. Duchess, in size and productive- 

 ness may be considered a strong rival to Cres- 

 cent, but I prefer the latter. Mount Vernon 

 promises well, and may take high rank as a late 

 berry, of large size, firm and productive, one 

 of the strongest growers. Longfellow, Warren 

 and Minnesota on trial and promise fair, all 



berries of large size and good quality. Among 

 those not fully teated, are Primo, Man- 

 chester, Crystal City, Finch's Prolific, Jersey 

 Queen and Big Bob. From my judgment of 

 the latter, it will not heat everything as claimed 

 by A. P., but Jersey Queen may become a rival 

 to Sharpless, except in firmness, which is an im- 

 portant matter fur shipping. Bidwell came with 

 such strong claims from up the Hudson that I 

 confidently expected it would set Sharpless, as 

 well as all others, in the shade, but thus far it 

 does not sustain the same reputation on the 

 Susquehanna by a long ways, and I suspect it 

 has been overrated. Side by bide with Sharj)les8, 

 when in bloom I concluded the latter might 

 get a set-back, but in fruiting it was fifty per 

 cent, below Sharpless in size and quantity, be- 

 sides not equal in quality and firnuiess. I shall 

 not extend its planting unless it behaves much 

 better than it did this season, except to raise 

 plants for such as wish to test it. 



Our soil is loam, from sandy to clay, with a 

 porous subsoil. 



DISEASE ON PEAR LIMBS. 



BY ISAAC C. MARTINDALE. 



Some time since I received from Frank Erbland 

 Waldo, Florida, a piece of a branch of Le Conte 

 Pear tree, which had been attacked by fungus. 

 As this variety of pear has been supposed to be 

 entirely healthy, and proof against disease, the 

 matter is of more than ordinary interest to pear 

 culturists. I submitted the specimen to J. B. 

 Ellis. Newfield, N. J., one of our best authorities 

 on fungus growths. His reply is so interesting 

 that I have thought it proper to have it published 

 in the Monthly, He says : 



"I have just examined the piece of limb of 

 Le Conte pear affected in a peculiar manner by 

 a fungus growth which appears to be quite in- 

 jurious The first appearance is of little reddish 

 brown circular disks, about one millimetre in 

 diameter at first, and slightly elevated above the 

 surface of the surrounding bark. The little 

 disks continuing to increase, become concentri- 

 cally cracked and enlarged to \ or ^ an inch in 

 diameter, or by confluence spreading along the 

 surface of the limb for one or more inches, and 

 nearly surrounding it. This diseased growth 

 bears some resemblance to the diseased blotches 

 on black raspberry canes sent me last season by 

 Mr. Williams, of Montclair, New Jersey, but 

 differs in the blotches being of a darker color 



