1882.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST, 



241 



and concentrically cracked and having a distinct 

 raised border. On this diseased growth are two 

 distinct species ofSplueriaceous fungi, belonging 

 to the genus Sphaerella. The species of this 

 genus are fnund mostly on fallen leaves and 

 dead vegetable stems. A few, however, attack 

 living plants; although not known to be specially 

 hurtful, must of course cause more or less injury 

 to the living organism. It may be that this 

 diseised growth on the pear limbs is caused by 

 the mycelium of the fungus which has some- 

 how found a lodgment on or in the living branch, 

 and by its growth and development caused tlie 

 abnormal scab-like excrescences which may be 

 necessary to the production of the perfect asci 

 gerous fungus. In favoi of this view the analo- 

 gous case of the fungus causing the Black Knot 

 on i)lum and cherry trees may be cited. The 

 only known remedy for Black Knot is to cut off 

 and burn the affected parts, and that would cer- 

 tainly be a sale method with the diseased pear 

 limbs, for it is not likely that the aflected limbs 

 where the natural bark has been in great part 

 broken up and destroyed by this excretionary 

 growth will ever recover even if left on the tree." 



Early Louise, Troth's Early, Thurber's Family 

 Favorite, Sal way, Lady Parham, Levy (Henri- 

 etta), all of which have small flowers. We must 

 be carefully discriminating, not following too 

 much after general rules. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



PEACH FLOWERS. 



BY T. V. MUNSON, DENISON, TEXAS. 



In Gaedener's Monthly for June, speaking 

 of the greater hardiness of the large flowered 

 peaches, Friend Sherfy is on the right track. 

 Let us have a complete succession of large 

 flowered kinds, and then we can have a crop of 

 fruit through the entire orchard every season 

 that fruit hits at all, instead of a few kinds full 

 and the balance with few or none. The Craw- 

 fords aie fast losing ground here on account of 

 shy fruitage. They make no money in com- 

 parison with large flowered varieties. Mr. Sat- 

 terthwaite is slightly "'ofl"" when he says "all 

 the good peaches are among the small flowers," 

 Is not Early Rivers the best peach of the sea- 

 son? Are not Alexandra (not Alexander) 

 Grosse Mignonne, Belle Bausse, Chinese Clings, 

 Noblesse, Early York, Lord Palmerston, Prin- 

 cess of Wales, Old Newington, Osceola, Pavie de 

 Pompone, Picquet's Late (unsurpassable in 

 every respect, beats the Crawfords). good 

 peaclies? Tliough I would not recommend all 

 of them, they indicate what may be accom 

 plished. There is yet work for the originator. 

 But there are some notable exceptions to the 

 rule. There are no surer or better bearers than 



History of a Five Cknt Paper of Seed. — Did 

 any one ever stop to consider how much a five 

 or ten cent package of seed went through before 

 the purchaser finally committed the contents of 

 the said package to the ground? Perhaps the 

 writer may have thought of it. Editors have to 

 consider everything. Still, we have to confess 

 to a wonderful amount of ignorance until a few 

 hours spent recently at the celebrated Blooms- 

 dale seed ft\rm gave us some more light on the 

 subject than we had enjoyed before. The present 

 owners, Leo, Oliver and Burnett Landreth, three 

 brothers, are the third generation from the 

 founder of this celebrated firm, and they con- 

 tinue to throw into the business the enterprising 

 energy that the father and grandfather possessed. 

 The home grounds comprise six hundred acres, 

 while in many parts of the United States and 

 Canada hundreds of acres are engaged as local 

 seed farms for such seeds as may be best suited 

 to the several locations. Much of the prelimi- 

 nary work is, however, done on the home 

 grounds. Millions of cabbage plants, for in- 

 stance, were growing at the time of our visit. 

 These v^ill be distributed to various parts of the 

 country, or in some instances to different parts 

 of the home grounds, so that there shall be no 

 possibility of the intermixture of varieties by 

 wind or insects. As in many cases varieties are 

 numbered by the score, this is a very important 

 point in seed raising. But even this is not re- 

 garded as sufficient to wholly protect the variety 

 against chance intermixture. The variety itself, 

 having been in the first place obtained through 

 selection, has some tendency to fight against 

 heredity, and to vary its form ; so for the firm's 

 own seed-sowing, individual plants are selected 

 as truly typical as possible, and preserved for 

 reproductive purposes. When these are re- 

 planted, they are placed in the middle of a 

 patch. Here, for instance, may be fifty acres of 

 Drumhead cabbage. Precautions are taken so 

 that not perha[)S one head in a thousand would 

 be aught but a pure Drumhead. But that one 

 is sent to market with the others, and no harm 



