1882. 



AND H0RTICULTURIS2. 



269 



Protecting Peach Trees in Severe Cli- 

 mates. — A correspondent of the Western Rural 

 protects peach trees as we recently i-ecommended 

 Figs to be protected : "I have also good success 

 raising peaches in a similar manner. Last sea- 

 son, after the hard winter of 1881, the mercury 

 going down to thirty-six degrees below zero, I 

 had as finepeaches'as I ever saw in the Chicago 

 market, ripe by the first of August. I set out 

 one-year old trees from the bud, and in the fall 

 before the ground freezes up I dig on one side of 

 the tree, cutting some of the roots, and taking 

 out some of the dirt from under the body of the 

 tree, so that it will bend down to the ground. 

 Then I peg it down, cover the roots well with 

 dirt, and then the whole tree with a good cover- 

 ing of straw, or marsh hay, replacing it in the 

 spring in its proper position, after the danger of 

 frost is over. I have trees treated in this 

 manner twelve feet high that bear a good crop 

 every year. M}^ soil is a sandy loam." 



Some Large SxRAwBERKiES.—Strawben-ies, kind 

 not named, raised by Dr. Alpaugh, of High 

 Bridge, New Jersejs were exhibited in Philadel- 

 phia, they measuring ten and a-half inches 

 round and weighing over three ounces each. 



Le Conte Pear. — This seems to be very popu- 

 lar in Florida. It is being extensively planted 

 there, and the older plantings producing profita- 

 ble crops. It seems also to be holding its own 

 in Georgia. Up to July 6th, one firm at 

 Thomasville had shipped twenty-three bushels 

 to New York. 



McCracken Blackberry. — This was found in 

 a wood at Fulton, Illinois. It is claimed for it 

 that though not a large fruit, it succeeds in 

 places where the larger fruited kinds fail, and 

 that it is an early ripener and of good quality. 



Churchman's Superb Raspberry. — This new 

 candidate for popular favor commenced ripen- 

 ing on the grounds of Mr. John Churchman, of 

 Burlington, N. J., on the 30th of June. From 

 accounts we hear of it, we believe it to be a very 

 fine variety. 



The Caroline Raspberry. — We find this amber- 

 colored variety is not of the Rubus occidentalis 

 or "Black Cap " race, but of the same class as 

 the Philadelphia belongs to. Some botanists be- 

 lieve these to form a distinct species, and Dr. Peck, 

 of New York, once named it Rubus neglectus. It 

 is by far the best of these light-colored kinds. 



The Hansell R.^spberry. — Mr. Churchman 



states the published reports give his name as 

 among those present at the examination of the 

 Hansell Raspberry, and. by implication endors- 

 ing the resolutions that that variety was " best 

 of all." Mr. Churchman does not believe that it 

 is anyway superior to the Superb. 



The Hansell Raspberry.— This is represented 

 as an accidental seedling, found on the farm of 

 Hansell Brothers, near Beverly, N. J. It was 

 brought into notice by Mr. J. T. Lovett. This 

 season the first berries were gathered on the 4th 

 of June; the picking for market was made on 

 the 11th of June. A company of several dozen 

 of the most eminent fruit growers of New Jersey 

 met on the fiirm and examined the fruit on the 

 27th of June, and unanimously agreed that in 

 addition to many good points as a market fruit, 

 it was the earliest red raspberry known. 



Fay's Currant.— Fruit which we saw on a 

 young plant transplanted this spring, shows that 

 it is a much finer fruit than the Red Dutch. 

 From the test made it could not be decided 

 whether it was very different from the Cherry 

 and the Versailles which it much resembled. It 

 is at least safe to say it is a very good variety. 



OuT-DOOR Mushroom Beds.— A correspondent 

 of the Journal of Horticulture gives the experi- 

 ence below in regard to ou(-door mushroom 

 beds. It should be remembered that these beds 

 are in ridges and kept shaded by straw, and that 

 they succeed only when the temperature can be 

 maintained steadily at about 60° ; above or be- 

 low this success is doubtful : 



" As showing that mushrooms can be grown 

 outdoors with some approach to regularity, and 

 that a good crop is not a matter of chance, I 

 will adduce the latest records of the yield from 

 150 yards of beds— namely, during last month. 

 The following are the dates of gatliering and the 

 quantities sold :— April 1st, 122 tbs.; 4tn, 73 lbs.; 

 6ih, 114 lbs. ; 8ih, 108 lbs. ; 11th. 160 lbs. ; 13ih, 

 104 lbs.; 15th,159ft)s.; 18th, 207 lbs ; 20lh. 180 lbs ; 

 22d, ISO lbs. ; 25th, 150 lbs.; 27th, 222 lbs.; 29th, 221 

 lbs. ; or a total of 2.000 lbs. This is a perfectly fair 

 example of ordinary practice. I may also add 

 that one bed 25 yards long yielded in the same 

 month 529 lbs. during three weeks— namely, 159 

 lbs. one week, 180 lbs. the next, and 170 lbs. last 

 week. 



Small Fruits in Japan. — Mr. Maries continues 

 his highly interesting "Travels in Japan," t« the 

 Garden. Of wild berries he says: "The follow- 

 ing day I passed through the same kind of forest 

 I had seen before at Sapporo, and I found the 

 black currant growing wild. Raspberries were 



