iSgs. 



' • • GARDENING. 



231 



bunches grown by Mr. McWilliam. — Ed.] 

 Georgk McWilliam. 

 VVhitinsville, Mass. April 4, '95. 



BLACK ALICANTE GRAPES GROWN BY MR. GEO. MOWILLLAM. 



In ventilating be very careful when the 

 wood is young and soft, but give air at 

 all times when the weather will permit. 

 .\s the season advances ventilate more 

 freely. Be particularly mindful and cau- 

 tious in cold or wet weather, else mildew 

 may creep in, and that is a dreaded 

 enemy in a vinery. 



When stoning, in the case of such varie- 

 ties as Muscat of Alexandna and Lady 

 Downes, which are apt to scald, we ven- 

 tilate the vinery a little at top and side, 

 (lay and night, with a little fireheat to 

 keep the air moving. , 



Madresfield Court Muscat, when com- 

 mencing to color is liable to crack, but I 

 find the same treatment used to prevent 

 scalding prevents cracking also. 



When the grapes begin to color we in- 

 crease the ventilation at top and sides. 



Hamburghs started March 1 get ripe 

 about July 20, Muscats take a month 

 longer, and Alicante and Lady Downes 

 won't be ripe till into September. But 

 in order to insure the good keeping quali- 

 ties of the last two they should ripen not 

 later than the last of September. At that 

 time be sure to keep a free circulation of 

 air in the house, for if moistureis allowed 

 to settle on the fruit it will injure the- 

 keeping qualities of the grapes. 



The grapes here are all grown for 

 private use. We begin cutting in July, 

 and from that time on till the following 

 .May we have a continuous supply of our 

 own grown grapes. What Muscats are 

 left by the middle of November arc cut 

 and put into the fruit room, and are used 

 from there as required. Early in Decem- 

 ber we cut oif all of the fruit of Lady 

 Downes, Alicante, and Mrs. Pearson, and 

 store it too in the fruit room. But be very 

 careful of one thing, not to cut the fruit 

 of these late varieties, for keeping through 

 winter, till after the vines have shed their 

 leaves. 



Our fruit room is a cool room in a plain 

 cellar, and there is nothing fancy or ex- 

 ])ensive about it. The sides are of 

 masonrj', the floor cemented, and a brick 

 partition separates it from the rest of the 

 cellar where vegetables and stores are 

 kept. It is dry and rat proof, sweet and 

 clean; the odor from the vegetables is ex- 

 cluded, and we make it frostproof. There 



are shelves all around inside of it, on 

 which we keep pears in their season, but 

 before filling it with grapes, the pears are 

 cleared out and the room thoroughly 

 cleaned, dried, ventilated and sweetened. 

 Wc have a wood burning stove in it, 

 in which we bum a stick or two in damp 

 weather to keep the atmosphere dry, and 

 in very cold weather to keep out frost. 

 We have shutters on the windows and 

 keep them closed to completely darken 

 the room and maintain an even low 

 temperature. We keep it at 36° to 40°. I 

 should like to keep it at 36° all the time, 

 and I wouldn't like to have it any lower 

 than 34°. The grapes are kept in the 

 usual way, which as you know is in bot- 

 tles of water. In cutting them we cut a 

 httle bit of the branch with the cluster 

 and set the end of the branch into the 

 bottle till it reaches downinto the water; 

 the bottles are arranged along the edges 

 of the shelves and lilted so" that their 

 necks lean over the shelves and the clus- 

 ters hang down without touching any- 

 thing. The last of our Muscat of Alexan- 

 dria grapes went to table February 23, 

 and Alicante March 15, we have Lady 

 Downes yet. It was into May last j'car 

 before the last named were all used. 



Lady Downes is not only the best keep- 

 ing black grape we have got, but the best 

 keeping one of any color, and Mrs. Pear- 

 son, a fine late grape, the best keeping 

 white one. 



We prun:; our grape vines in December. 

 It is best to prune early; it gives the 

 wounds time to heal before we start the 

 vines in March. If the vines are strong 

 I prune to one eye, if weak to two. Then 

 we wash the vines with whale oil soap 

 and water, using a stiff brush in prefer- 

 ence to a cloth, as it cleans the rough 

 bark better. 



The vine borders here are all inside of 

 the vineries, so we have complete control 

 over them, a very essential point in the 

 case of early forced grapes. And all that 

 the vines get to eat goes through our 

 hands. Every winter we clean oft" the 

 loose soil on the surt'ace of the border and 

 replace it with fresh loam with a good 

 dressing of fine bone mixed through it. 

 [Our illustration of Alicante grapes is 

 engraved from a photograph of two 



fl DOZEN OF T«E BEST PEARS. 



This is one of the finest pear growing 

 sections of the countrv, and an immense 

 variety of pears is in cultivation about 

 Rochester. The following sorts are the 

 best tested and most approved we have, 

 and they all are particularly well adapted 

 for amateur's gardens. 



FOR SUMMER. 



Margaret (Petite).— A medium-sized 

 pear, pale yellow with red cheek. The 

 tiesh is melting, juicy, vinous, and of the 

 finest quality. 



Bartlett.— The most popular and best 

 known of all pears, fruit is large, yellow, 

 melting, and of rich flavor. 



FOR AlTl'M.N. 



Seckel. — The sweetest pear in exist- 

 ence. Fruit of medium size; tne very pro- 

 ductive. Thin the fruit if you want extra 

 fine pears. 



Bosc— A large, golden russet, distinct 

 appearing fruit ot delicious quality. To 

 insure success it should be double worked. 



Angouleme (Duchess). — Fruit very 

 large, juicy, vinous. Next to Bartlett in 

 popularity. 



Howell.— Fruit large, yellow and 

 handsome; fl('sh melting and good. The 

 tree is very productive. 



Louise Bonne de Jersey.- A very pro- 

 lific variety. Fruit large, handsome yel- 

 low with deep red cheek, flesh melting, 

 buttery and good. [At Dosoris it bears 

 heavily, but in thecaseof both dwarf and 

 standards the bark is astringent.— Ed.] 



Sheldon. This is my favorite pear. The 

 fruit is large, round, russety all over, and 

 the flesh is of the highest quaHty. 



FOR WINTER. 



.Vnjou (BEURRED').-Oneofour very best 

 pears for home use or market, large and 

 handsome. Flesh melting, vinous and 

 sprightly. 



Clairgeau (Beukre).— a very large, 

 attractive pyriform red and yellow fruit 

 of excellent quality. 



Lawrence.— .\ very popular \ ariety. 

 Fruit medium sized, obovate, golden yel- 

 low, melting, pleasant, and aromatic. 



Josephine de Malines is our best late 

 winter pear. Fruit medium sized, melt- 

 ing, perfumed, and agreeable flavor, of 

 the highest quality. Thin the fruit if you 

 want fine specimens. John Ch.\rlton. 



Rochester, N. Y. 



RflSPBERRIES AND BLACKBERRIES. 



J. H. B., Chicago, writes: "Ihave on 

 my lot a space about 175 feet long and 4 

 feet wide running along the west side of 

 a tight board fence, and partially shaded 

 b3- house and oak trees. I think it would 

 do for a row of blackberrj- and raspberry 

 bushes. What varieties should I plant, 

 and when is the best timeto plant them?" 



Plant at once. The Kittatinny black- 

 berry, Doolittle black cap, and Cuthbert 

 (red), and Carolina (yellow) raspberries 

 are long tried reliable sorts that we stand 

 by for main crop. But observe, a black- 

 berry is black several days before it is fit 

 to cat. Before planting that border have 

 it dug fifteen or eighteen inches deep, and 

 cut out every vestige of a tree root you 

 find in it. While both blackberry and 

 raspberry bushes like a little shade the3' 

 do not like to have the ground they are 

 growing in dried up and impoverished by 

 the roots of neighboring trees. 



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