338 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[November, 



scabby or badly cracked ; this one smooth and 

 fair." 



[This is about the size and color of a small 

 Bartlett and of fair quality, not equal to other 

 catalogued kinds of the season. But it has a 

 fair appearance, and has solid flesh which would 

 permit of good marketing, and these good points 

 with its health, ought to make it valuable for 

 this high northern region. — Ed. G. M.] 



Sprouting of Pear Roots.—" A. S. M.," Al- 

 toona, Pa., writes: "Can you tell me what 

 remedy will keep pear roots from sprouting, or 

 how can tree and all be killed?" 



[Pear roots generally sprout when the variety 

 grafted on the stock is the weaker grower of the 

 two, or when the roots are injured by the spade, 

 plough, or vermin. 



If pulled up while the wood is still soft, as 

 soon as we can get hold of them, they seldom 

 appear again the same season. — Ed G. M.] 



Le Conte Pear. — "H.," Montgomery, Ala., 

 says : " Will you please give your opinion of the 

 qualities of the Le Conte pear in the next issue 

 of the Monthly." 



[The Le Conte is a very good flavored pear, 

 paler and somewhat narrower than the Kieffer. 

 Like that, and indeed all other pears, there is a 

 difi'erence in quality according to the part of the 

 tree the fruit is taken from. When from a very 

 weak branch, or from a tree which is allowed to 

 bear too freely, it is poor enough. Like Mother 

 Goose's little girl, " when she was good she was 

 good, but when she was bad, she was horrid.'' 

 The Le Conte and Kieff'er are very poor trash 

 when ripened under unfavorable circumstances. 

 —Ed. G. M.] 



Chinese Cling Peaches. — Mr. Charles Black, 

 Hightstown, N. J., writes: "I see inquiry of 

 'R. S.'in the Monthly for a white cling. We 

 send you a box containing two of Chinese Cling 

 and one Mammoth Cling. The former is red at 

 the seed, but the latter is pure white, and ripens 

 about two weeks earlier than Late Heath. The 

 latter never ripens well here, and colors full as 

 much as the Mammoth. The trees from which 

 we took the Mammoth are overloaded, and fruit 

 only medium size. There are plenty of white 

 clings in the South. We have two others of the 

 Chinese Clings that were raised by Mr. Berckmans, 

 Augusta, Ga., and I see he describes them as 

 white. We have them but not in fruit. We 

 grow several clings, but are all for the South. 

 We have but little demand for clings North. The 



Chinese Cling is soft fleshed when fully ripe and 

 really good." 



[The Chinese Cling is evidently a distinct race, 

 and there are doubtless many varieties of it. It 

 will be necessary to be particular about names. 

 -Ed. G. M.] 



CoL. McFarland's Late Peach. — This peach 

 originated near Harrisburg, Pa , in 1874, being a 

 seedling of Late Crawford. It is of very large 

 size, specimens grown in the drouth of 1881 

 measuring over eleven inches in circumference, 

 and the size is well maintained throughout the 

 crop. Skin rich yellow, with a red cheek ; flesh 

 yellow, edged with red at the stone, from which 

 it parts freely; juicy, rich and high-flavored, 

 resembling the Susquehanna in quality. Tree 

 strong, vigorous and spreading, ripening a large 

 crop between Oct. 10th and 25th, after all other 

 peaches are gone in that section. 



Charles Downing writes as follows, under date 

 of Oct. 14th, 1881, to Col. McFarland : "Your 

 basket containing three peaches was received 

 yesterday in good condition. They are large, 

 fine, showy peaches, of very good quality, es- 

 pecially for a variety ripening so late in the 

 season; and if they continue in size and quality, 

 and prove as good in other localities, they will 

 be an acquisition as a late market peach, and 

 also for home use." 



[With the above we received, on the 5th of 

 October, some specimens confirming the char- 

 acter given there, and the opinion expressed by 

 Mr. Downing. They measure eight and a-half 

 inches round, and the flavor was fair for such a 

 late variety. — Ed. G. M.j 



Peach from Chanute, Kansas. — " J. T." sends 

 a very fine peach which he proposes to call 

 " Golden October." The specimen sent came to 

 hand October 5th. It was rather above the 

 medium size, of a fine golden color, cling-stone, 

 with a moderately good flavor in comparison 

 with the best of its season. Peaches, especially 

 late peaches, are so numerous that its exact 

 value niust be measured by comparison with 

 others ripening with it at the same season. 



Moore's Early Grape. — Mr. Moore says : 

 " We forward you per express this day a basket 

 of Moore's Early Grape. In the top of basket 

 will be found a medium-sized Concord grown in 

 the same vineyard." 



[The Concord sent was smaller and inferior 

 to the best Concords raised here ; but if this is a 

 fair sample of the Concords of Massachusetts it 



