1883.] 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



49 



it blooms and fructifies from spring till autumn 

 without ceasing, wherefore it was called as above." 

 . In America, where cucumbers are raised by the 

 millions, these little points are not appreciated. 

 Long Island farmers alone grow for the New York 

 market three millions a year. 



Poison in Mushrooms. — An article in a late 

 number of the London Medical Times, asserts that 

 all niushrooms are more or less poisonous, and 

 that the washings which they usually undergo in 

 cleansing them, and the subsequent cooking, have 

 the effect of removing the poison, but the water in 

 which they are cooked is pronounced " highly poi- 

 sonous." 



It is surprising what an amount of nonsense is 

 started by papers which ought to know better. 

 Mushrooms are rarely washed, but simply peeled, 

 and then cooked. Gardeners when working among 

 mushrooms, often eat them raw — in quantities. 

 No one was ever known to be injured thereby. 

 In stewing mushrooms the water in which they are 

 cooked is used with the vegetables. No one ever 

 died from eating stewed mushrooms. 



There are poisonous sorts of mushrooms, but we 

 are writing of the edible kind. 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Good Keeping Plums. — An Abingdon, Va., 

 correspondent writes, under date of November 

 25th, 1882 : " I send you by mail a small box con- 

 taining one-half dozen plums. They have been 

 gathered more than a month — picked up on the 

 ground under the tree the 20th of October, and 

 laid away in a paper box. One or two of them had 

 rotted, but I think those I send you are sound. 

 They grew on a tree I grafted two years ago on a 

 stock of a wild plum growing in a clump. I don't 

 think they are fair specimens ; have seen the fruit 

 one-third larger. The tree from which I obtained 

 the grafts grows in this country, and as far as I can 

 find is undoubtedly a seedling — an old tree grow- 

 ing on a clump of rocks. They are used by the 

 parties in the neighborhood for preserving and 

 jelly making, and said to be fine for the purpose ; 

 good to eat, too, when ripe. I saw .the tree once 

 only in fruit, about the middle of October, and 

 there were ripe plums on the ground, and on the 

 tree both ripe and green. The family where they 

 grow say they have picked them up off the ground, 

 under the leaves, at Christmas. I send you some 

 of the leaves also. I call it the Campbell, after 

 the family where it grows. What do you think 



of it ? Is it worthy of propagation ? I had in- 

 tended to send them when first ripe, so as to show 

 you the true flavor, &c., but neglected until now." 



[We find it difficult to decide what to say about 

 these plums. It is certainly very late to have plums. 

 The leaves and wood indicated that the plant be- 

 longed to the common American red plum, but the 

 fruit was rather like improved European "sloes." 

 —Ed. G. M.] 



Seedless Persimmon. — H. F. Hillenmeyer, 

 Lexington, Ky., says : " I send by mail to-day sam- 

 ple of seedless persimmon. The tree is some forty 

 years old, and has always borne such fruit — not 

 one in a hundred having seed. The tree is heavily 

 loaded this season, and the samples are hardly as 

 good as last year. We hope to fruit this variety 

 on our own place next year, and if among other 

 trees, bearing and non-bearing, the peculiarity be 

 preserved, I think it will be quite an advance." 



[The common persimmon varies in the number 

 of its seeds in different trees. Sometimes we find 

 four or more, sometimes two only, and in some 

 rare cases none. The matter is of some interest to 

 physiologists, who often wonder whether the fleshy 

 envelopes of fruits can mature in the absence of 

 pollinization. As the seedless persimmon could 

 probably get pollen from other trees, it would per- 

 haps indicate that the flowers were pollinized, but 

 that some latent weakness prevents the ova- 

 ries . from perfecting, though fertihzed. As to 

 the practical worth of a first-class persimmon with- 

 out seeds, there could be no question. It would 

 rank with the seedless grape, as well as the currant 

 of commerce, which is a small grape without seeds. 

 —Ed. G. M.] 



Tangerine Oranges.— A Palatka (Fla.) corres- 

 pondent says : " I send you by this express some 

 extra fine Tangerines, raised by Mr. F. C. Coch- 

 ran, of this place. The tree is three years old, and 

 bore 260 fruits." 



[They weighed five ounces each, were dark red 

 and flattish, and in flavor delightful. — Ed. G. M.] 



Boardman's Tree Paint. — There are a num- 

 ber of washes that will kill insects on the bark 

 of trees, and otherwise guard the bark of trees from 

 insect attack. It is not always convenient for peo- 

 ple to have these ready mixed to hand, and it is 

 therefore an advantage to them to have something 

 safe at once to apply, though it may cost more 

 than simple remedies. Boardman's Tree Paint is 

 well spoken of, though it has not come under our 

 direct observation. 



Seedling Pears from California. — We re- 



